Issis and the Warriors of Thoth
by EchoTango
Summary: Can the team find the mysterious warriors and if they do will they help them fight the Wraith. Story is essentially complete and will be updated weekly. Rated M for a few short paragraphs in one of the chapters. Naughty bits now posted.
1. Chapter 1

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Word Count: 28, 673**

**Part 1 **

John Sheppard stepped away from the humming, shimmering ring, hands clenched tightly on the P-90. He could not shake the feeling that he was being watched, again. Two heartbeats later Teyla and Ford stepped through, one going to the left and one to the right, instantly alert and watching for potential danger. He could sense McKay coming through a moment behind them, stopping abruptly a few feet in front of the gate, eyes alternately scanning the piece of electronics in his hand and squinting towards the nearby hills. He instinctively moved to position himself so the scientist was protected on all sides.

He scanned the area uneasily before giving Atlantis the all clear, "Next contact in eight hours, Sheppard out," he announced waiting for the splft indicating the gate closing.

"Ford you take point, Teyla you've got our six. We keep to cover whenever we can. I don't want to be in the open anymore than we have to." He glanced around again, noticing the tension in Teyla's shoulders and the tight, white knuckled grip Ford had on his weapon.

The last few missions had all ended up with the Wraith hot on their tails and he grudgingly had to admit that something was very wrong. Bates had all but come right out and accused Teyla and the Athosians of sabotage but he wasn't buying it. He had made mistakes both in his career and in his personal life, heck if he was honest with himself he had screwed up big time more than once but when it came to something like this, his gut never lied. He trusted Teyla and her people, end of story. Still, "I have a bad feeling about this place," he muttered.

"Please Major," McKay huffed in exasperation, you've said that every time, "and of course," he continued without missing a beat, pointedly ignoring the glares from his teammates, "you've been right. Screwed, screwed, screwed, we are so Pegasus, life sucking vampires screwed."

"McKay," he growled, "they're not deaf, you know. The Wraith'll zoom in on the sound of your voice alone. So, for once keep quiet and just please tell me the energy signature is still there" He knew he was being a little harsh and half expected for McKay to engage him in verbal sparring for he had learned quite quickly that a nervous McKay was loud and talkative.

"Uh? Right Major, still here and…hmmm, that's where we want to go," he said pointing to the farthest hill off to the right.

An hour and a half later found the team approaching the hill in question. He still had that vague feeling of being followed but had to see any hard evidence of a stalker. More of a small mountain, John thought, looking up the length of the hill in question, surveying the dense mixed forest covering the slope. It was a beautiful summer's day and notwithstanding the annoying 'no see um" insects that periodically descended upon them in humming, black, puffs, it was turning out to be a nice hike.

They had progressed through the valley at the bottom of which the gate rested, a majestic ring of blue grey looking oddly out of place in the middle of a lush, green meadow overgrown with the small pink flowers that seemed to grow everywhere. The dandelions of the Pegasus Galaxy, John thought careful not to voice this observation aloud. The last thing he wanted was to set McKay off on the subject of weeds and pollens and allergens.

The landscape between the gate and their destination rose in elevation through a series of gently rolling hills. They had traversed the open exposed area in the valley without incident. Yeah, a nice hike and a beautiful day until it all goes south, John thought grimly.

He stopped just inside the tree line at the base of the hill and took a sip from his canteen. He had set a brisk pace and it was starting to show on McKay. The scientist had been relatively quiet, though John knew that was due more to the several mouthfuls of insects he had no doubt swallowed than to any words of warning from him.

"McKay, take a break."

"Finally," he exclaimed breathlessly, dumping his pack and quickly sitting down with his back up against the nearest tree.

"Why is it," he asked between mouthfuls of the powerbar he had pulled from his vest "that everywhere we go it's uphill? I mean, just once, I'd like to stroll along a gracefully winding pathway to…"

John's mouth twitched with amusement as McKay clamped his mouth shut at the approach of a particularly wide swath of humming 'no see ums'.

"Look at it this way," Ford said before John had a chance to reply "it's all down hill when the Wraith are breathing down your back and you're running for your life."

Ford's voice trailed away, his attention once more focused on their surroundings. John could literally see him mapping out a potential pathway up the hill.

He was a good kid and a fine soldier but inexperienced which was why John had placed him on his own team instead of giving him his own to lead. Pegasus promised to supply experience in quick time, if he lived through it.

"Teyla? You got anything?"

Teyla shook her head. "No, I do not sense anything that would indicate the presence of the Wraith."

"OK, let me know the instant you get the vaguest of feelings," he said quietly and was rewarded with a nod and a tentative smile.

"Of course, Major Sheppard, you will be the first to know."

"Hey McKay, ever wonder how many germs fit on the head of a 'no see um'," John began casually leaning on the tree McKay had claimed.

Rodney's eyes widened and then quickly narrowed in suspicion. "Major, unlike some people I understand the importance of personal hygiene in the field."

John watched with a smug expression as his new friend unconsciously wiped his mouth and then his hands down the sides of his BDU's.

"Isn't it true that you could line up a thousand bacteria across the head of a pin?" John added.

Rodney glared at him for a moment before turning his attention to the electronic sensor pad in his hands. "You can be such an ass sometimes," he griped.

John shrugged and smiled. For some reason hearing McKay call him an ass was fun and oddly satisfying.

"Major Sheppard," Teyla called, her voice hoarse and thick, "They are here. The Wraith are coming."

The whine of the dart echoed around them as it flew just above the forest canopy before, well beyond where John estimated the gate to be, it pulled up sharply disappearing from view in a steep climb through the gathering clouds. John knew it was returning to its hive ship having dropped off its cargo.

"Back to the gate, now. Move, move," ordered John, grabbing McKay's pack. "McKay, don't forget, safety off and for heaven's sake at least try to aim before you shoot. You have your spare clip, good, don't forget to re-load."

"Right, right, safety off, aim, re-load. I'm not an idiot Major," he muttered, as he shoved his piece of tech into an oversized pocket on his tac vest and prepared to hurry back the way they had come.

John looked at his pale, frightened face, "Just concentrate on staying with me, Ok, now go."

Rodney nodded and cursed under his breath. They were three for four now. Four times out and out of those four missions, three times time the Wraith had shown up and he couldn't figure out how they were doing it. If they got back, when they got back, he corrected himself; he was going to nail this one down. Rodney McKay was too smart to be beaten by a bunch of soul sucking creeps. For sure, he thought grimly, whatever solution he came up with he would have to work fast because things were going to get ugly back home and soon. "Ford was right," he muttered darkly, "running for your life is easier downhill."

Ford, on point, had reached the final hill overlooking the gate well before John. McKay was doing fine considering the circumstances and had kept up pretty well, but he thought that a few training exercises for all the geeks wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Two drones, two officers, Sir," Ford reported. "Should we try to take them, though it's like the drones are so stupid they're harder to kill."

"No, I think a diversion is in order. I'll circle around and draw them away from the gate. Teyla, you cover McKay at the DHD and make sure he gets through, understand?" John paused, taking a moment to meet her eyes.

"I understand Major, I will make sure Dr McKay returns to Atlantis safely."

"Ford, you keep the gate open as long as you can and cover m

"Yes, sir."

"Lieutenant?"

"Sir?"

"If it becomes necessary you will go through the gate and raise the shield. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir, perfectly clear."

John studied his face for a moment nodding once he was satisfied with what he saw.

"Right, let's do it"

"Sir, wait," Ford called quietly, holding John back by his arm. "Heading towards the gate, I saw something."

From above John could just make out a figure on horseback as it carefully weaved between the trees bordering the meadow. Shots rang out and two of the drones went down, while a third, limped awkwardly but swiftly towards the rider as its mount carefully, but quickly negotiated its way farther into the woods drawing the Wraith away from the gate. John wasted no time in urging his team to go before the Wraith had time to think and realize that the gate had been left unguarded.

The dialing sequence had slowed to an agonizing crawl and the sound made as each symbol was engaged seemed to reverberate throughout the still meadow. Deep in the forest and moving away from their position, he could hear the zing of energy bolts as well as the report of a projectile weapon.

Finally John heard the swoosh as a stable wormhole was established and felt a small measure of relief as he watched first McKay and then Teyla disappear through the shimmering puddle. Ford, keeping so close to the gate that parts of his body actually extended through the horizon, covered him as he quickly made his way across the short distance left between him and safety.

John took a brief moment to scan the nearby woods for their unknown benefactor but met with eerie silence. You can't save everyone, John, he told himself but still he hesitated, no one gets left behind.

Both men tensed, weapons clenched tightly ready to fire as a horse and rider emerged from behind an especially thick screen of trees and brush. He heard Ford gasp in surprise and felt his own hands tighten even harder on the P-90 he held.

The rider dressed in beige suede pants and a muted green jacket wore a mask that resembled the ones worn by the Wraith drones, enough that it sent shivers up John's back. The horse was completely bare, no harness or saddle or any type of man made equipment and John felt the tickle of envy and longing. It had been a long time since he had been able to ride.

"Thanks," he called out adding a casual salute.

The rider nodded and watched silently as both men quickly stepped through the shimmering blue puddle.

**~ * ~**

John was too frantic over the next few weeks hauling his team's collective ass out of the range of Wraith fire to think much about the mysterious stranger. Finally, thanks to Bates bulldog persistence, Rodney found the Wraith tracker hidden in Teyla's necklace.

John shuddered to think what would have happened to the Athosians if after activating the device he had simply handed it to Teyla and then walked away. He wondered how many more traps were out there. It didn't really matter; the ATA gene carriers had learned the hard way that they just had to be a little more careful; they all had to be more cautious. It was a dangerous galaxy out there.

The team was getting ready to go on their first away mission since they had captured the Wraith John had named Steve, a most satisfying conclusion to a rotten month's worth of missions that at least for Atlantis' lead team had gone FUBAR more often than not.

They hadn't gotten any real Intel from the creature but John was confident that he would get through one way or another. It was only a matter of time before one of them blinked and John was determined that it wouldn't be him.

In the meantime, the acquisition of trade goods and food supplies were needed to augment the expedition's dwindling supplies. They had no idea when or if they would ever reconnect with the SGC and Earth and had to plan accordingly.

The Athosian's list of contacts and trading partners were quickly exhausted and even though there had been some very successful trades and alliances made it wasn't nearly enough.

John had decided that organizing the Marines into hunting parties might not be a bad idea and Dr Weir had agreed and Teyla had arranged for Athosian guides. Since looking for a new ZPM trumped even the possibility of steak, McKay had trained those Marines with the gene in using the life sign detector to scan for energy signatures. If anything within a certain parameter showed up then and only then, would McKay join in the hunt.

John sighed; it was Athosian garbage soup day today, again. As supplies became tight, the cooks found it easier to make use of all the leftover bits by throwing everything into a big pot and simmering it with Athosian herbs. Even the cooked grain leftover from breakfast found its way into the pot. Nothing was wasted.

It was good and John liked it but he was so tired of having soup for lunch that the MRE's in his pack had started to look appealing. He would never admit that to anyone, especially Rodney who had complained when he was ordered to save the MRE's for their off world missions. McKay liked MRE's.

Maybe they could bag a couple of the large birds on the mainland that John really hoped tasted like turkey and he knew exactly where he could find at least one family of boars. Mmm, now that he really thought about it, he wondered how hard it would be to convince the marines to organize a citywide barbeque. Probably not hard at all, he thought with a smirk as he went to join Rodney at one of the more secluded tables along the back wall.

"Sure you don't want to come along, McKay, it's not too late. Be good for you, fresh air, exercise," John asked for the third time that day, not because he thought Rodney would change his mind but because he wanted to hear the man say no again.

"Thanks, but not today, Major," Rodney replied, around a spoonful of Athosian soup.

John blinked. Well, that was disappointing. He had hoped to get more of a rise out of the scientist than that. John looked more closely, at what Rodney was doing, his eyebrows arching up in surprise when he realized that he was reading a small, leather bound book, one of about a dozen that lay in a neat stack beside his tray. John had never seen Rodney eat lunch without a laptop in front of him.

"What'cha got there," John asked leaning forward and snatching one of the volumes.

"Hey, give that back," he yelped, automatically wrapping his free arm protectively around the remaining books.

"McKay, what are you up to?" John asked as he leaned away, out of

"Nothing," Rodney told him with a fierce glare.

John didn't say anything but pursed his lips and met Rodney's gaze with a slightly bemused expression on his face. Rodney was such a terrible liar it was almost funny sometimes, at least when it didn't end up with spear toting natives coming after them.

"Fine, I found them, hidden behind one of the consoles in the control tower and…what are you doing here anyways. I thought hunters got up and sallied forth at the crack of dawn."

John shrugged.

"The sun won't rise on PX4-145 for another two hours, McKay," John drawled while carefully keeping out of Rodney's reach so he could examine the book in his hand, "and quit trying to change the subject."

"I'm not, OK maybe I am, it's just if the Anthropologists get a hold of these, I'll never get them back."

"So, not so soft a science after all, uh, McKay," John teased as he opened the book.

"Shhh, not so loud," Rodney admonished looking furtively around at the other tables, relaxing when no one seemed to be paying attention to them.

"So you found a bunch of journals. Aren't scientists supposed to keep journals," John asked with a frown.

"No, no, no, you don't get it. I found some ancient's cache of very private, very personal diaries and she wasn't a fourteen year old girl," Rodney hissed in exasperation.

Startled, John looked at the book more closely. What appeared to be leather was actually a delicate sheet of the same material that had been used on the floors in most of the private areas of Atlantis. Soft and warm, the cover had the appearance of fine-grained leather while actually comprised of an almost indestructible and so far, unidentified compound. The inner sheets were of a crisp yet silken material that resembled paper but was so definitely not.

John studied the ancient script. Tiny and precise the handwriting was clean and bright even after ten thousand years. The ancient wrote in a straightforward prose, her honesty and sincerity making up for her lack of poetry.

As he read, John could feel the heat creeping past his collar because, OK, it had been excessively long.

"What, what?"

"Uh, it's just, uh, you're right McKay it is personal," John told him quietly, licking his lips before his eyes returned to the page he had been reading.

"She says, hum, 'Thoth was here today and we were able to steal a brief moment alone in between those awful meetings. The memory of his tongue on my lips and teeth was enough to keep the heat in my belly even through Councilor Bascillus insane proposal. Perhaps it was rather perverse of me but all I could think of was him, and how I would begin our tryst by…"

"What the hell Sheppard," Rodney yelled making John jump a little and this time the room went still and more than one inquiring gaze was directed towards them.

"You can read Ancient," Rodney hissed when he was sure everyone's attention was once more on the meal in front of them.

John swallowed hard and put on his best game face, the one he saved for the tougher black ops missions.

"Later McKay, gotta go, er, hunt," he mumbled and literally ran out of the mess, the Ancient diary clenched tight to his chest. Damn, he had been busted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Word Count: 28, 673**

**Part 2**

The resupply mission, code named Elmer Fudd, had gone well and between the several different worlds they had visited, the expedition was now in possession of several weeks worth of assorted meats for themselves and the Athosians. The carnivores among them at least were happy.

He made a brief stop to the infirmary to patch up scratches inflicted by those vicious turkey birds before he paid Steve the Wraith a most satisfying visit. It might not have blinked but John was sure he saw a twitch right before it had lunged at him in rage, if not yet desperation.

He had no sooner stepped out of the shower than the door chimes sounded and he heard the door swish open and someone enter his quarters.

"What do you want McKay," he shouted as he carefully dried off before wrapping the towel tightly around his waist. His clean clothes were laid out on his bed and besides it wasn't, unfortunately, like Rodney hadn't already seen it all already. Their off world missions had already put them all into a surprising variety of compromising and usually embarrassing situations.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Everyone else would have waited until I answered the door."

"Yes, yes, I freely admit it, I posses less than a modicum of social skills, a deficiency, which I might add is more than adequately compensated for by my towering intellect. What I want to know is, why?"

John's brows arched up and he took a moment to run quickly through his options, which considering he was mostly naked were limited. Run or hide? Right, John, remember whom you're dealing with here.

"What do you want, McKay?"

"Why do you play dumb? I'm quite aware of the educational requirements needed to become an officer in the United States Air Force, which means none of your kind is without a certain amount of intelligence. This doesn't mean most of the officers I've met aren't moronic idiots with their heads up their asses."

"Gee, thanks, McKay, I think."

"So to repeat, why?"

John didn't even try to pretend he didn't know what he was talking about.

"Its good camouflage and I prefer to keep them guessing. Hell, it works," John told him with a shrug as he sat down on the bed and wiggled into his boxers before he let the towel fall to the floor.

"Oh, uhm, I see. So when did you learn how to read Ancient or are you really a spy planted by the Trust, having prepared for your role for years waiting for the right opportunity."

"Relax McKay, I just have a gift for languages. I studied the romance languages, French, Italian, Spanish, which are all related to Latin. There might have been a cute brunette involved."

"Come on McKay," he continued seeing the incredulous look on his face. "You saw how bored I was, in Antarctica and then at the mountain, with all the endless meetings and truly uninspiring light switch duty. You didn't think I just meekly settled down and surreptitiously played solitaire and minesweeper the whole time, did you?"

"Well, no?"

John laughed. He really had to give the man some lessons in how to lie effectively.

"Say, how did you get this past Elizabeth."

"It's easy to miss, a generic liberal arts degree taken concurrently with ROTC."

"I can't believe the Air Force didn't take advantage of your language skills."

John looked at him a little sheepishly, "I kind of deliberately didn't get good marks, only enough to pass and kind of pretended I wasn't as fluent as I really was."

"Oh my God, you played dumb so you could fly and shoot and blow things up, didn't you?"

"Yup, pretty much."

John finished tying up his boots and stood up. He had just revealed more of himself to McKay in a few minutes than he had to any of his girlfriends over the course of an entire relationship.

"So, you ready to find out if Thoth got laid," John asked with a huge grin as he scooped up the book with which he had run off.

Any plans John had to keep the journals a secret were tossed out the window once they opened the last and final volume. John had wondered at first why the Ancient, Issisiabella or as her lover had called her, Issis, had left them behind. He had no doubt once he reached the last volume that if the Lantean council had learned of what Issis and Thoth had done that even on Earth they would have faced prosecution.

The couple had disagreed with the council's policy of non-interference and the accompanying edict that officially forbade all Lanteans from offering aid to the humans they had left to be ravaged by the Wraith. All energy and resources were to be poured into their strategic withdrawal and of course to the ultimate goal of achieving ascension.

Issis and Thoth had nevertheless conspired with an ally to create a secret society of warriors who would provide protection after they had gone.

Whether they liked it or not, both John and Rodney agreed that Issis and her journals would have to go public and Rodney would finally have to give them up to the Anthropologists. It had been fun while it lasted.

~ * ~

"You had no right," shrieked Dr Pateki when he found out why he and the head of the Linguistic department had been asked to attend the senior staff meeting. "As head of the Anthropology department these should have been brought to me immediately," he added his voice still in the shrill range.

Dr Smith, the linguist, Rodney noted, wisely remained silent. He had already noticed that she was one of the less stupid ones.

"Elizabeth?" Rodney pleaded taking a deep breath and trying really, really, hard to not say it out loud. Just don't say it aloud.

"Hey," John whispered, kicking him under the table to get his attention, "remember, cheeseburgers. We don't want to be late for lunch."

Rodney nodded weakly, a thin sheen of sweat beginning to form on his forehead. If he lost it, he wouldn't be able to stop and they would most certainly miss lunch.

Cheeseburgers, the kind you might find at a trendy California bistro. Fresh ground meat, on an Athosian whole grain bun with the sharp Betullian cheese they had traded the extra turkey birds for and a side of purple fries from Lalar with Earth Ketchup and Mustard. Thank God, if nothing else the Marine's knew enough to stock adequate supplies of condiments, the one supply they had that was still plentiful.

"Dr Pateki," Elizabeth began, her number one diplomatic mask in place, "as Chief Science Officer Dr McKay has every right to make assignments as he sees fit. Not only is it his right, but he is obligated to do so."

"Rodney, please continue."

"Right," Rodney began taking a deep breath. He could do this, he could talk almost as fast, OK nowhere near as fast as he could think, but that was still some pretty fast-talking.

"Issis and Thoth, together, decided that forget this, we're not letting our friends twist in the wind. If we can't do it ourselves we'll find someone who will and they did, find someone that is."

"Issis, " John jumped in when Rodney paused to take a breath. " knew people who hated what was happening as much as she did and they willingly agreed to help establish a society, warriors whose mandate was to protect those communities that they believed would play a critical role in the Pegasus humans ability to fight against the Wraith."

"The last of Issis' Journals," Rodney tells them glaring fiercely at John "contains what appears to be a tentative list of those communities."

"Unfortunate for us," John interjected once again, "Issis lists the worlds only by their native names. No gate addresses, no six digit designations."

"There are, however," Rodney continues "a few descriptive notes from which we know there was a naquadah mine on Talas and Ararias was home to the caves of golem that produced a powerful and effective antibiotic and Palacia the source of a potent non-addictive pain medication."

"Of course," John spoke up before Rodney resumed talking, "we assume that Issis and Thoth were real and not characters in someone's attempt to write the great Lantean novel."

They had talked about this. Having poured over the journals for weeks now neither had any doubts as to their authenticity but they didn't want to admit to that unless they had to.

"Dr Pateki, your thoughts on the matter."

"No, Major, I don't think you have cause for concern there," Dr Pateki assured John with an air of self-importance.

Since Elizabeth knew as much about Egyptian mythology as anyone on Atlantis, John knew, she had deliberately deferred to the man as much to keep the peace as anything else.

"I've been working with the SGC for over ten years and in that time my department has gathered enough evidence to support the supposition that many of the lesser Egyptian gods and goddesses were in fact Ancients. In my expert opinion and based on many hours of fieldwork, Issis and her partner Thoth are genuine. In fact, I believe it was in a temple of Issis where evidence was found that led to the discovery of earth's star gate."

Rodney snorted but John had to poke him only once in the side and mouth the word "Cheeseburger" for Rodney to clamp his mouth shut.

It helped too that Teyla had positioned herself on Rodney's other side where with a simple touch she was able to ground him and keep him focused. Yeah, no doubt about it he had a great team and they worked well together.

John turned his attention back to the meeting where Elizabeth was already giving final instructions.

"Dr Smith I want a full translation of the final volume on my desk by 1600 tomorrow and Dr Pateki I expect an initial evaluation of the remaining volumes at the same time."

"Major?"

"Yeah, I know a full proposal on how we intend to track these warriors down on your desk first thing in the morning."

"Thank you Major I will be looking for it."

"Dr. Weir, with your permission I would like to visit Charrin this afternoon. She may have some knowledge of these warriors."

"That is a very good idea Teyla, let me know how it goes."

"Carson, have one of your people search the database for those medications Rodney mentioned, maybe we can identify the worlds involved and Rodney I want regular updates on your search for the gate addresses."

Elizabeth paused, drawing out the moment but not for long. After all, there were cheeseburgers at stake.

"Alright people you know what to do. Let's go find these warriors because we sure could use the backup out there.

"If they're still out there, we'll find them," John assured the group.

"All right then, this meeting is adjourned."

~ * ~

Despite John's confidence, the Warriors of Thoth proved elusive at best. Each off world team had their instructions, make contact if possible but do not engage. The Lanteans, found, much to their chagrin, that they were invariably met with an impenetrable wall of silence regarding the warriors and the feeling that they were being watched.

John had just about given up, not quite, though because he was stubborn that way when this bent over, older woman came right up to him in the middle of the marketplace on P6R-499 or as McKay called it the stinky cheese planet and scurried away before John could even think about pursuit.

Neither Teyla nor Ford had been able to catch up with her before they lost her in the crowd.

With McKay still squawking because he had missed the sugar tart vendor, John hustled his team back to the gate.

"What is the matter with you? What's going on? " Rodney shouted, in between gasping for air and as he pulled himself up to the DHD and started punching in the symbols for Atlantis.

"That old woman, she gave me this," John told him grimly as he covered their six.

On the small scroll was written the names of some of the Lanteans closest friends and allies.

"Is this some kind of threat? You don't think…"

"I think that being a friend of Atlantis may have just become a liability."

John felt sick. They simply didn't have the resources to offer sanctuary to everyone though John insisted on evacuating at least those named on the list. The rest were duly warned for all the good that did.

The Wraith came quietly bursting into the homes of the families named on the scroll. The subsequent culling of all the people who remained would probably have happened anyhow. At least that's what Rodney kept telling John. He didn't buy it at all.

The second time John was ready to grab onto the young man, a boy really, John guessed to be about fourteen years old. On earth, he would have just been starting high school but here John knew he was considered full grown, a man.

The narrow street was crowded with off world travelers, as this was a popular trading center. The boy didn't try to run away after he had shoved the tightly rolled scroll into John's hand but stood his ground though John noticed he was careful to keep his distance from Teyla and who could blame him. For all her diminutive stature Teyla was no less fierce a warrior and that was never more evident than at this moment.

"So, where did you get this?" John drawled, keeping his tone casual, light, and hopefully non-threatening.

"Please," Teyla added in the calm soothing tone only she could get away with.

The boy looked startled, a brief yet clear expression of surprise on his face.

"You are Commander Sheppard, are you not?" he asked hesitantly.

"Major John Sheppard and this is Teyla Emmaganon," John told him nodding in Teyla's direction.

"My orders are to tell you the Intel is reliable but the source has gone dark. You're supposed to know what to do," he added, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"I know what to do. I would like to meet with your Commander; can you pass on that message for me?"

"I will relay your request, Major Sheppard. Be safe."

John nodded and watched the boy make his way down the street. "Well, that was interesting."

At least John and Elizabeth agreed on one thing, they couldn't sit on this Intel and do nothing. John had been working with his Captains on a strategic plan since the first hasty rescue. This time heavily armed strike teams would go in simultaneously, to eight different worlds and extract the ten families named, by force if necessary, leaving a quick warning as they retreated. They would leave immediately. It had been two hours since John had received the message.

The Wraith moved even more quickly than before but apart from Bravo company being forced to hunker down until nightfall, and Corporal Schmidt losing one of his toes and a only a small hunk of his leg in a freak accident, the Lanteans returned relatively unscathed.

John wasn't sure how many more times, they could do this, though and was relieved when no one approached him on their next regular foray into the Pegasus marketplace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Word Count: 28, 673**

**Part 3**

"What I'm telling you Major is that just because this wasn't here before doesn't mean it wasn't really here. Do you ever listen to me?" Rodney asked in exasperation.

On point, he couldn't see Ford's face but he could tell that he was trying hard not to laugh. John was sure that if he turned around he would find an equally amused expression on Teyla's face as she covered their six.

They had been walking for two hours now and McKay was still wound up tighter than an eight-day clock.

"So, ZPM, big, uh."

"Yes, yes Major, fully charged ZPM big."

"And we didn't notice it before because…"

"Who cares, it's there now," Rodney crowed triumphantly.

John's arched brows and the grunt he directed at Rodney spoke volumes.

"OK, fine, there are a number of reasons why this should show up now, the most likely being that Arak heeded my advise and opened up that old mine we found for him. Mmm."

"What?"

"Well, it's just that I did ask him to contact us if he found anything."

"That does seem unlike Arak," Teyla said quietly so only John could hear her.

They had come to the crossroads, the left leading to the village and the right leading towards the mines. John was suddenly uneasy. They hadn't met anyone on the usually busy road and everything seemed too quiet, too peaceful.

"Let's go directly to that new mine, we'll check in at the village on our way home."

John had become twitchier the closer they got to the abandoned mine. Rodney had become quiet and that made John even more uneasy.

"McKay," he hissed, "spill it."

"It's just, I, er, may have been wrong."

"Wrong?" John asked incredulously.

"Well, it's not like I made a mistake, according to the data I was receiving at the time there was no other conclusion but now as we've gotten closer I've noticed certain abnormalities that leads me towards an entirely different… "

"There's no ZPM, is there."

"I sincerely doubt it, Major, though there is something. I don't know what, yet, obviously."

"But worth checking out?"

"Yes, definitely, if nothing else we could use the spare parts"

"OK then, let's stay alert and keep your radios on. Ford, Teyla check out the outlying buildings, McKay you're with me," John said, indicating with a nod of his head that Rodney was to stay behind him.

John froze to the spot before any of them had the chance to move off.

"Major, what is it?" asked Teyla the concern in her voice reflected in the expressions on her teammates faces.

Slowing down but still moving briskly, John watched as a shaggy, sturdy black horse approached them from the direction of the village. Nostrils flaring, and rib cage heaving John could see the fear in the animal's eyes.

"Perhaps it belongs to one of the villagers," Teyla suggested.

"No," John croaked out, mouth suddenly dry "it's not from the village. They don't use horses. They're too rare and valuable, temptation for bandits, Arak told me last time we were here. It's funny, that's the second horse I've seen in a month."

"Are you sure, Sir, it's not the same one," Ford asked, clearly remembering the mysterious rider that had saved them.

"No, it's not the same one, I would have remembered those markings," John said pointing to its flank, "they're very distinctive."

"Hey, girl, are you alone, uh?" John asked softly as he carefully extended his hand out.

"Oh, come on, how do you know it's a girl."

John just gave him the look. The one that clearly conveyed, you are a genius but sometimes you are so stupid.

"Oh, right, HEY, give that back."

To everyone's surprise, the horse had snatched the ancient life sign detector right from McKay's waving hand and swerving to avoid both Teyla and Ford had trotted around the corner. A moment later it re-appeared snickering and snorting and without the ancient device.

"Ah, Sir, I think it wants us to follow it, you know, kind of like Lassie, maybe."

"Right," John drawled.

"Hey McKay, wait up," John shouted when Rodney was the first to move and raced around the corner.

Turning the corner cautiously, John was relieved that there was no nasty surprise waiting for them, just Rodney dancing about waving the device all around.

"The ZPM like signature is coming from here and I can't be sure but I think there's someone, no two people in there," he said indicating the archway in front of him "the life signs are weak and I can't tell if they're hurt of if something is interfering with the detector, maybe both."

The horse who had stepped aside just snorted and nose to his back shoved Rodney towards the door.

John grinned, "Actually, I don't think there's any doubt, Rodney. Relax girl, we'll take it from here," John added more softly, rubbing the horse's nose.

John reached out to place his hand on the palm set but the door remained closed. Taking a deep breath, he tried again, mentally nudging and prodding the recalcitrant door mechanism until it opened a few inches, shuddered and then retracted fully with a soft clunk.

Silently he signaled for Teyla to stay with Rodney and for Ford to keep to his right. They would enter the darkened room on the count of three, two, and one.

"Stop," Rodney shouted and John immediately obeyed because he recognized that tone, he had heard it enough, "Major step away from the doorway. It's a trap."

John looked at the access panel Rodney was working on and his stomach did a little flip at the sight of the tendrils that had spilled out, the texture, colour, and ugh, smell, clearly indicating Wraith technology.

"The ZPM signature was bait, anyone with the gene can open the door but once inside it's set to lock down and send out a subspace signal," Rodney told them as he worked.

"Ok, I've disabled it, but we need to get out of here fast."

"Ford I want you to blow this setup to rubble and slimy bits. You got enough C-4?"

The Lieutenant was quick to answer, "Sir, you can never have enough C-4."

John's grin faded as he once again focused on the interior of the gloomy room, sweeping the light of the P-90 across the walls and ceilings finally coming to rest on an indistinct shape in the far corner.

John approached cautiously, stopping when he noticed first the weapon aimed squarely at him and then the small figure sitting beside a rather ordinary looking but heavy metal shelving unit that was lying on its side.

"I'm not going to hurt you, we're here to help," he told the figure "lower your weapon…please."

The hand wavered but finally complied.

"He's pinned under the shelf. It's too heavy, I haven't been able to move it at all," she told him.

John looked briefly around the room for something he could use as leverage and then outside and there, along the wall, various rods and I-beams probably used in the mine. Working quickly he was able to lift the storage unit up long enough for the woman to pull out her companion, who was unhurt apart from a shallow gash that was not as nasty as it looked.

They followed John out into the open only to back up a few steps in the face of hurricane McKay.

"How long were you trapped? Was it stupidity that led you here or was it the energy signal? Is that an energy weapon? Can I see it? You both look like crap, you know that right?"

"McKay, we have to go," John growled as he turned his attention to the strangers.

He studied the woman's small, pale face, which was framed in dark shoulder length hair. He noted the dark circles under her eyes and the concern etched into her face. The clearest, most startling green eyes met his gaze, her expression steadfast and not intimidated.

"Gaius, are you fit to travel."

"I am, though this shirt has seen the last of its useful days."

"McKay, that's it, Ford's done, time to blow this Popsicle stand."

"One more minute, I just, uhg, why is there always slime. I'm not leaving without the memory chip, could prove useful. OK, I've got it. Well, what are you waiting for Sheppard?" Rodney exclaimed as he carefully stowed the Wraith chip in his vest, "just make it go boom why don't you? What?"

John just shook his head, and started back towards the gate knowing it was when the words stopped flowing that they were really in trouble.

The team moved out quickly each one of them assuming their roles with the ease of familiarity. John wasn't sure exactly when it had happened, but his team had become more than just some people he worked and played with.

Gaius had thanked them for the rescue and answered McKay's questions as best he could.

"It was my fault we were caught," he admitted, "We were here only to trade but when Arak told us they had opened another old mine I had hoped to find an artifact of the ancestors."

"Gaius," the woman said with much exasperation "you don't need an artifact, work hard and do your best and the rest will come. I promise."

"Well, the Wraith would have gotten you for sure if it wasn't for your horse," John told him.

They both looked startled.

"We came on foot, through the star gate, though…Jayne, did we not see a runner on the market world?"

"Gaius, I told you then, the runners are too well coveted to be left wandering the marketplace."

"But I was certain it was a runner, there's no mistaking their distinctive profile. The Sorrassian beasts do not have the same bone structure."

"Enough, you were mistaken, I'm sure." "

Jayne said nothing more and ignored the barrage of questions McKay threw at her though John could see she was listening intently to their ongoing banter and more than once was unable to suppress a twitch of amusement.

They had almost reached the gate and the safety of Atlantis when the dart silently glided in over their position. In the back of his mind, John couldn't help but admire the skill and ingenuity of the pilot who had cut his engines in favour of stealth and wondered as the culling beam engulfed him if he would ever see his city again.

~ * ~

For a moment, he was eighteen years old again. He had been accepted into the ROTC program at MIT and things were, well, tense at home. He had hooked up with a group of friends and friends of friends and together they had made their way to the beaches of California. Long nights playing and drinking hard and equally long days chasing the biggest waves had ended the day he had woken up sprawled face down on the deck of a hundred foot yacht two days out to sea. It had been the very first time and the absolute last time _that_ had happened. He had returned home and spent the rest of the summer quietly preparing for the upcoming term.

He had awakened now as he had then, sprawled face down, the hum of machinery vibrating through him, this time on the deck of what he presumed to be a Wraith space vessel. With an effort, he gathered his thoughts and focused on the here and now.

He wasn't eighteen anymore and the small bits of his body he could feel hurt like hell. He stifled a groan of dismay as his limbs stubbornly refused to cooperate, which didn't really matter because his brain was going to burst out of his skull any minute now, anyways.

He tensed as he felt small hands gently probe the back of his head before turning him over onto his back and placing a lump of fabric under his head for support.

"You've got a fair sized lump back there. I'm afraid they weren't too careful moving you."

"Where?" he managed to ask, the effort leaving him shaky and twitching even more.

"Wraith battle cruiser."

He eyed her suspiciously; barely able to speak as his struggle to move his uncooperative body was rewarded with a wave of pain. He hated this. The loss of control over his body and the fuzziness in his brain was worse than the pain itself.

"The others? Were they culled too."

She knelt down close to him, her gaze fixed on his own. Her face was an unreadable mask except for the eyes that hinted at a deep sadness.

"Gaius has not yet regained consciousness and as for the others, I don't know," she told him after a brief moment of hesitation.

He swallowed hard and nodded, acknowledging what was left unsaid.

He managed to pull himself to his feet taking in the contents of the cell with a quick glance. A short bench on one side and what, he had to assume were facilities in the farthest corner. Well, he had been imprisoned in worse places than this.

"Major John Sheppard, United States Air Force, Atlantis Base" he said extending his hand with some apprehension. He had quickly learned that on some worlds this was considered an act of aggression.

She watched him warily for a brief moment, biting lightly on her lower lip, before firmly clasping his hand. "Jayne Chaillot, house of Diraldo and, that is Honoured Companion Gaius Diraldo, Tenth Degree, Thoth-Issian Division."

John thought that he should have been more surprised than he was.

"So, the Warriors of Thoth, uh?"

She nodded, but didn't elaborate.

"Dr Weir, the leader of our expedition, has wanted to meet with the Issians," he told her "ever since we came across Issiabellia's private journals."

"Journals?" she asked.

"Twelve hand written volumes," he told her smugly.

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah."

"There are certain individuals on the Issian Council who may be persuaded to speak with your leader," she finally told him after a lengthy pause, "If I can, I will relay the message."

They were interrupted by a groan coming from Gaius who was now standing up though swaying ominously.

"McKay will find us, we don't leave our people behind," he told her quietly "All we have to do is wait."

"Now we wait," she agreed as she settled herself and Gaius down into a comfortable sitting position, up against the farthest wall.

Arms wrapped around legs drawn tightly to her body, Jayne rested her head on her knees and was soon deep in sleep. He watched her with some appreciation. The ability to rest anytime, anywhere was a valuable skill that had always eluded him. If anything, he slept less when he was off world.

He noticed that Jayne was shivering slightly and realized with a start that it was quite cool, almost cold, in the holding cell. Of course, space faring vampires probably preferred their food chilled, he thought darkly. Though they had taken away both his P90 and his sidearm as well as most of his knives, he had a one little surprise left, they had failed to recognize the value of his tac vest.

He searched for and quickly found the small square of silver that expanded efficiently into an emergency blanket. He eased himself down carefully on her other side, his body still bruised and somewhat shaky and stretched the blanket to cover all three of them. Jayne, her eyes shooting open briefly, nodded in acknowledgement and moved in closer to him, and Gaius who had finally fallen into a fitful sleep, unconsciously shifted over to close the space between them.

He awoke with a start, but remained motionless. A glance at his watch told him that it had been thirty hours since he had left Atlantis. He thought about his team and how they were managing and if McKay had figured out a way to find him. He idly wondered if Weir would even allow the jumpers, cloaked or not, to go up against a Wraith battleship.

He had convinced her to let him go after Sumner and the others and that had not ended entirely well. The Wraith awakened from hibernation a half century early and Atlantis' military commanding officer killed.

Sumner's face had taken over his dreams and haunted his nights. His face aged and grey and lined with pain, the eyes had said it all. He had known what he was asking and he was quite aware of who he was asking, of that John had no doubt. He hated waiting around like this, too much time to think.

He noticed that she was awake and studying him with eyes that were way too green.

"We really should get up and move around. Don't want to stiffen up," he told her but there was no resolve in his voice. Another few minutes of warmth and comfort couldn't hurt.

"You're right," she sighed without moving.

Any further conversation was forestalled by the sound of footsteps.

"They're coming," she whispered leaping to her feet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Word Count: 28, 673**

**Part 4**

His form swept into the cell instantly, in unseen steps to tower before her. His coat, long and leather gleamed a deep jet black that shifted to a rich dark charcoal as the light played across his body. The narrow slit-shaped pupil of his eyes, deep as the blackest night slowly expanded until it seemed it would swallow her whole.

"Human, we are well met," he greeted her in a rich baritone so deep she could almost feel it echo in her teeth.

"Ayr," she acknowledged with a slight nod.

"Your arrival is unexpected," he hissed, "perhaps this time we shall finish what was started."

She watched him carefully.

His eyebrows twitched impatiently.

"I think not, Son of Erith. Does your Queen now allow her sons to speak for her?"

He stiffened and a faint blue tint crept up his collar.

"The hives have awakened and there have been murmurings of a rich, new feeding ground," he told her.

She felt a knot twist inside her.

"A world bursting with human flesh, waiting only to be claimed."

"Oh please," she scoffed, "nothing more than a tale to entertain on the longest flight." She recognized the look on his face now. The smug satisfaction of a predator who thinks his prey cornered.

"No you are mistaken, human, they skulk in the abandoned city of Atlantis and through them we shall gain access to a world that will sustain the hive that finds it."

She drew herself up to her full height and looked directly into his dark, empty eyes, her expression blank and unreadable.

She looked quickly at the Major, who was on his knees between two juvenile males. He kept his right arm tight to his chest and she could see bruises starting to blossom around his neck. The urge to protect her had been instinctive and he had automatically lunged at Ayr. The others had easily stopped him but they hadn't beaten him.

He was watching and listening intently. She needed to speak carefully.

Gaius, stood as far back in the space as he could get, his face an ashen gray visible even in the dim light.

Jayne turned her attention back to Ayr and studied him closely.

"You baited that trap hoping to capture those from this new world, and all you received for your efforts is us."

"That's not all he did," the Major interjected. "He's targeted their allies. How's that working out for you," the Major asked with an insolent drawl.

She gave the Wraith a sharp look but his expression revealed nothing. This was not like Erith who preferred to let the others fight and then swoop in and pick up the pieces.

"You are working without the Queen's knowledge," Jayne guessed with a sudden flash of intuition. I would be careful Ayr lest your ambitions prove your undoing."

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves," John's voice rang out, loud in the confined space, "you can call me Bruce."

John's audacity excited the young males and from the smirk she got from Ayr she knew he would do little to control them. Gaius who Jayne was sure was in shock, had not said a word to either of them since they had been captured.

"In fact," he added with a cough, "we can all be Bruce." He gasped in pain as the young Wraith nearest him lifted him up to his feet, long lean fingers gripping his dark spiky hair. "Good day, Bruce," he grunted.

She knew such defiance was rare and extremely enticing, almost intoxicating in its allure. She had to diffuse the situation, and quickly.

"Go ahead; I'm sure the Queen won't mind." Jayne said in a quiet, mocking tone, taunting the young male who immediately released John, and stepped back, his feeding hand twitching by his side. Pupils pulsating within widened eyes, she could see they were young and apparently not entirely disciplined. She needed to proceed carefully.

She quickly moved in close to John's side, so close she could feel his body warmth. She glanced over his way. Bruised and battered he pulled himself to his feet and still, despite his injuries, stood with the relaxed stance of a fighter ready to explode.

"Let's just get this over with," she scowled at Ary defiantly.

The Wraith moved with lightening speed and John watched, horrified as the Wraith slammed her against the wall and with a leg pushed between hers for support he fed and then with a howl he reversed the process.

John felt the bile rise into his throat as with a final scream of anguish she collapsed to her knees, her body shaking but youthful once again.

"Make no mistake, human, this time you will be mine, as you both shall be," he told the two men. Finally, with a howl he left, the tails of his leather coat flying behind him.

~ * ~

John woke suddenly to find a shadow leaning over them.

He had fallen asleep with Jayne's head cradled on his lap. He had held her through the shakes and at least one seizure; it was hard to tell the difference.

"Withdrawal is a bitch," she had whispered harshly.

"Come with me," the voice ordered from the darkness, shoving a Wraith stunner in his hands. John didn't need to be told twice but apparently, Jayne did.

"We have discussed it and we both agree that we will not be responsible for your death."

John couldn't hear Jayne's response and was relieved when she joined them outside the cell.

Three times, they were forced to change direction to avoid the Wraith drones, their numbers increasing as they crept through the hive. Once they had no choice but to squeeze into a small, darkened alcove while a few feet away a silken haired officer barked out orders to a unit of at least a dozen drone soldiers.

It was the longest five minutes of John's life and the closest he had ever come to really losing it. The sweet, cloying scent of death mingled with the musty earthiness of the living hive vessel, a combination that left his stomach churning. By the time they were on the move again, John felt nauseous, lightheaded and extremely grateful that the hum of the hive engines was loud enough to mask the sound of his pounding heart.

Jayne, he noticed, was not faring any better than he was. Her pallor had deepened and she looked a little green along the edges, swallowing hard against the nausea. Gaius, was holding it together remarkably well, which surprised John. He suspected that the young man had been privileged to have lived a relatively sheltered life, and was now facing his first test of character.

Only their saviour, potential saviour, seemed unaffected. Short and stocky, the man wore a simple, linen tunic over a pair of loose fitting pants. His feet, clad in soft, leather slippers made absolutely no sound as he led them through the maze of corridors and crossways.

If asked, John might have described him as a person of indeterminate age if not for the eyes that spoke of the wisdom and pain of several lifetimes.

Finally, after what had to have been an eternity and a day they arrived at the far edge of the hive vessel where the Wraith darts were lined up within numerous, short, narrow tunnels awaiting deployment.

"You want to do what?" John hissed.

"It is simple John Sheppard," Marlo-Damius whispered, unperturbed "we will reverse the setting on the culling beam so that you will materialize on the planet surface."

"Well," John whispered back heatedly, "I don't think being dropped into the middle of a Wraith feeding frenzy is a good idea besides what makes you think that the pilot won't catch the switch on his pre-flight check."

"Major, do we have a choice?" Jayne asked quietly.

"We most certainly do. I'll fly it."

"You can fly a Wraith dart?" Jayne asked with more than a little bit of skepticism creeping into her voice.

"I can fly anything."

Jayne pursed her lips but didn't argue the point.

"Can you take care of the pilot?" Jayne asked turning to their rescuer.

"I will do what is necessary," he told her, his head cocked to one side, "The culling has begun, you do not have much time. Keep them safe, John Sheppard."

"And you old friend, take care of yourself," Jayne said, her eyes bright with emotion as she pulled the man into a brief hug.

John nodded as he watched Jayne and Gaius disappear into the Wraith storage device, knowing that he had made the right call because no matter what he had screwed up in his life in the past, his skills as a pilot had never let him down. Flying had never let him down.

He knew it was showing on his face and he would never admit it aloud but for a short time after the autopilot had engaged and catapulted the dart vessel out of its cradle his fear was displaced by a sense of exhilaration and wonder. He was piloting an alien space vessel skimming through the upper atmosphere of a world located in another galaxy.

His elation quickly dissipated beneath the weight of the reality of piloting a craft he had never seen before. Fortunately, some things were universal; air speed, check, altitude, check, life support check, communications, oh craps.

The voice thundered through the cockpit crisp, clear, and very incomprehensible. Whether the other pilot was speaking in code or just in whatever language the Wraith used John couldn't tell. Later, much later, he would make the time to learn the basics of the Wraith language but in the here and now, all that mattered was that the time for subterfuge was over, it was time to see what this baby could do.

In retrospect, John was lucky he had not been forced to engage an Earth born pilot. A Wraith pilot was used to sweeping close to a planet's surface capturing targets below with its beaming technology not dodging an angry opponent from above.

Out maneuvering the other dart had been easy, tricking the other pilot into slamming into the side of a mountain peak had been a little harder, landing the damn dart in one piece on uneven, rocky terrain almost didn't happen.

The culling would last for hours and until then the Wraith would keep dialing into this world's gate effectively cutting off their escape route. He needed to get the other two out of the Wraith device and hole up somewhere for the duration. With some effort, he pulled himself out of the cockpit, his legs collapsing beneath him and he hit the ground hard.

The next thing he knew he was waking to the soft pelt of raindrops on his face and the rumble of distant thunder. Moving slowly he lifted himself off the ground. He was stiff and sore and his arms and ribs hurt. He hadn't been there long, as the soft drizzling rain had only begun to dampen his clothing.

At least it's not cold, he thought, as he squinted at the black, thunderous, clouds gathering behind the mountains. The storm appeared to heading their way and from the intense flashes of lightening and the ominous rumblings of thunder, he knew it was going to be a bad one.

He frowned, he had to find shelter but there was something he had to do first. His hand scrubbed across his face, the whole world looked thick and fuzzy, and then he remembered.

They materialized a few feet away, Jayne still holding the large leather pouch full of supplies that Marlo-Damius had given her.

Jayne was beyond pale and her breaths short, ragged gasps but Gaius seemed all right and he quickly took the pouch from her hands and swung it across his shoulders.

"There's a storm coming and we need to find shelter."

The rain had started to fall in a light drizzle and the temperature had begun to drop as the wind picked up in velocity.

"Major? What happened? Are you alright?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Well, you know what they say about any landing you walk away from is a good one. Let's just say, this qualifies and leave it at that," he told her having to shout to be heard above the wind.

Not only had the wind had picked up but it was getting harder to see and he had changed his mind about it not being cold.

He nodded and moved out, backtracking towards the craggy mountain slopes and ridges. He had seen a small family group heading this way before they had been caught in a culling beam. He guessed they were heading for cover and hoped that they would be lucky enough to find a cave or something they could use for shelter. He was starting to shiver, once hypothermia set in they would get stupid and make stupid mistakes, and stupid mistakes were often deadly.

They hadn't gone far before they came across not so much a cave as a crevice in a rock face rising above them. The opening in the rocky ridge widened out to reveal a narrow space, just big enough for the three of them. The sudden silence as they were cut off from the gale force winds seemed to pound into his head.

They had each picked up an armful of kindling and small branches as they walked. John guessed that it had been brought down the mountain by flash flooding which had him looking and listening nervously. It hadn't been raining long enough to get the wood significantly wet so he hoped there wouldn't be any flooding tonight.

John took the kindling along with supplies he found in the leather pouch and focused on starting a fire. It took all of the strength he had left to make his fingers work well enough to strike the odd looking match that finally set the kindling ablaze.

He carefully tended the flames until the fire was well established. He noted how the smoke was drawn upward and away through a couple of narrow fissures along the rocky overhang above their heads. The lightening and thunder had retreated into the distance and all he could hear now was the steady fall of the rain.

John watched as Jayne quickly and efficiently used the contents of the pouch to prepare them a meal. The goop the Wraith supplied may have satisfied their basic nutritional needs but he was barely able to choke the horrid stuff down. He had eaten because he knew his survival depended on keeping up his strength. At least, judging from the aroma that was coming from the tiny fire, Jayne was a better cook than the Wraith.

He leaned back against the wall, the effects of exhaustion, the cold and his injuries beginning to show visibly in the awkwardness of his movements. He closed his eyes feeling the heat begin to gather in the enclosed space.

Soon, Jayne approached him with a steaming bowl of a thick soup and a small, flimsy looking cup filled with a weak tea. Thick with a grain that reminded him of barley, the stew contained bits of previously dried mystery meat and unfamiliar vegetables that were still chewy but the broth was tasty and the seasoning interesting.

Jayne smiled. "Yes, even emergency rations taste good after you've eaten Wraith cooking."

John found himself wondering what his team was doing right now. Were they still looking for him? How long before he was declared MIA and given up for dead? Worse, upon returning would they assume he had been compromised and posed a security risk?

Exactly who was this Marlo-Damius person who had such easy access to a Wraith battle cruiser.

He looked up to find Jayne watching him intently, her expression stoic or maybe she was just tired, bone tired and worn out.

"Go ahead and ask, Major," she said quietly, "what do you want to know?" she asked him with a sideways glance at Gaius who was paying close attention.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?"

She studied him for a moment before reaching over to add more fuel to the fire. She sat down next to him and pulled up the silvery emergency blanket, which he couldn't believe he still had, so that they were all covered and as comfortable as circumstances allowed. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, the events of the day beginning to overtake him.

"It was about eighteen gate cycles since I was culled that first time," she began, softly, barely loud enough to be heard above the wind "you do know what a gate cycle is, don't you?"

John snorted, remembering the day Rodney had explained some of the basic features of the Pegasus gate network to the command staff in lengthy and exhaustive detail. They had not expected to find the device embedded beneath each DHD; a device that displayed the passage of time. It made sense though, since the seasons differed on each world, it provided a universal time line.

"Yeah, McKay explained it. One gate cycle equals 1.18567 Ear- I mean of my world's years, so 18 cycles equals 21.34206 years. So, twenty-one years ago?"

She stared at him long enough that he felt himself begin to blush. "I've always been good with numbers and math in general," he told her with a dismissive shrug.

It was a gift, he had been told, but for him mathematics was just another language. At least when combined with a Masters in aerospace engineering it was a language that would keep him in the sky longer. In the end that was all he cared about.

"For some reason Ayr decided to make me his personal slave. I still don't know why I was selected. The enslavement process was dangerous and painful and highly effective."

She was quiet for a bit, taking deep measured breaths. John could sympathize. You didn't talk about some things. Events, people, stuff that was best filed away or better yet locked up tight in indestructible boxes stacked up high in the darkest most inaccessible corners at the very back of your mind.

A coping mechanism that had served him well. There was only the one time where he had thought that losing Dex, Mitch, Holland and possibly his career had seemed to big to fit in any size box. It had been a struggle but eventually this too had been safely partitioned off and buried until towards the end he had found Antarctica to be soothing and peaceful. He had not lied to O'Neill when he had told the man he liked where he was.

"There was an Issian warrior taken with me and he formulated a plan for escape and he took me with him."

"You had inside help?" John guessed.

"Yes, a slave who realized he was near the end and wanted the satisfaction of seeing someone, anyone, escape his fate."

After filling their cups with more tea, Jayne continued with a sigh.

"The soldier brought me back to the Issian capital and nursed me through the withdrawal period. It was unpleasant," Jayne said with a grimace. "I stayed on Issia and eventual found a place in the Diraldo household. I like to think that my contributions have made a difference."

"And Marlo-Damius?"

She looked at him sharply and hesitated before replying, "He's an old friend," she finally told him "we should try to sleep."

John yawned in response and with a frown, because there was more she wasn't telling him, he stretched out near the fading fire and let sleep claim him.

He woke suddenly, somewhat disoriented and unsure of what had disturbed his sleep after what felt like only a few hours. It had stopped raining. He frowned as he realized that Jayne was not asleep but standing barefoot in front of the opening to their shelter, her figure silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky. With a sigh, he pulled on his boots and went over to stand behind her.

He wasn't very good at this. He always felt awkward and didn't quite know what to do, he just intuitively knew that what she needed right now, he was unable to give.

He forced himself to relax and to stand quietly behind her, as together they silently watched the night slowly explode into day.

As far as sunrises went, and he had seen his share, this one was spectacular. Puffs of clouds stained brilliant shades of orange gathered on the horizon. From a blinding gold to intense sienna they emerged from the deep blue of the slowly brightening sky filled with the promise of a beautiful day.

They packed up their remaining supplies and prepared to leave. Pulling his aviators from his vest, grateful that they had survived intact, he carefully put them on. "All righty, then, let's move out," and with that they departed towards the gate.

He felt naked. If he had been stripped bare of all his clothing, the feeling would have been the same as to how he now felt without his weapons. The comforting weight of his P-90 and the 9 mm usually strapped to his thigh was gone and to his chagrin, they had taken his favourite combat knife. He could only hope the bastards would accidentally shoot themselves.

They trudged along without a word until they reached the rocky escarpment they needed to climb down in order to reach the gate on the plain below.

He hadn't noticed Jayne's abrupt halt. He frowned as he saw her face and retraced his steps.

"It's not as bad as it looks. There's a trail, see?" he asked as he pointed downwards. A freakin' mountain goat trail by the looks of it, he thought privately.

"It's doable, just follow me and do exactly as I say," he told her trying to project as much confidence and reassurance as he could.

"I can do that."

Going down the steep, rocky, slippery terrain proved to be much more difficult than he had anticipated.

Not for the first time, he wished for some rope and basic rappelling equipment. The wind had picked up and their progress had slowed to a painful crawl. Hugging the rock face they inched their way along a ledge that at spots was barely as wide as his foot was long.

Jayne, her face slack, eyes vacant and glassy did exactly as he instructed and no more, no less. Voice already strained he found himself having to shout to be heard above the wind. Gaius, seemed surefooted and more confident than he had been, a little bit of colour returning to his cheeks.

"A few more inches, that's right, now move your foot over," he instructed patiently as Jayne struggled, "a little bit more and the worst is over."

He only hoped that was true. The sky had darkened ominously, the possibility of them not making it down before the sun set or the clouds overhead exploded with thunder, and lightening was very real.

Gaius had already made it to relative safety and one more step and then he could ease Jayne off the narrow ledge and onto the larger, easier pathway ahead. Suddenly, with a sickening rattle, the ledge beneath his feet gave way and he found himself hanging by his fingertips.

~ * ~

The popping sound of rock cracking penetrated through the fog of her fear an eternity before she felt her precarious hold on the slim ledge give way. Scrambling with hands and feet, she managed to halt her descent. Thankfully, the rock face was anything but smooth and could be described as very steep rather than outright vertical.

A few feet to her left, she could see that the Major had managed to pull himself to safety and she exhaled with relief. Gaius, his eyes wide in a too pale face, was stranded on the ledge below them. He still hadn't spoken.

She closed her eyes against the periodic tumble of stones and pebbles that slid down the slope clattering like Jenna's brood of puppies as they skittered across the terra cotta kitchen floor.

"Are you alright?"

"M, Maybe," she stuttered attempting to blink away the stickiness she felt trickling down her face.

"O.K. then, I need you to move to the left a few feet. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"I can do it," she answered tersely as she clamped down on her terror and focused on the sound of his voice. Calm, smooth and reassuring, she did exactly as he instructed.

~ * ~

He groaned as he felt the first, fat, cold drop of water plink down on his face. He shook his head, could this adventure get any worse. He sighed heavily as the raindrops plunked down on and around him, increasing in frequency with every breath he took.

He couldn't reach her from where she currently clung to the unstable rock face. Too far over and the angle was all wrong, but once she had made her way over closer to him he could reassess the situation.

She had followed his instructions without hesitation and she soon hung directly beside him. He squinted down past her towards the windswept crest that protruded out from the wall below.

Climb up to a narrow, already proven unstable ledge or down a few extra feet onto a fair sized promontory. Climbing up and then finding another way down would be easier and he would be able to see better, so he could talk her through it. The cold rain was falling heavily now and he could see her body begin to shiver. They were running out of time.

"Alright, now let go and take my hand."

For the first time she hesitated, lifting her face, streaked with grime and blood, to meet his gaze.

"You can do this," he urged.

In the split second before he had her hand firmly grasped in his, the hold she had on the rock face crumbled and broke away and she fell to the rocky ledge below.

In his haste to reach he had slipped and fallen the last few feet and now he lay flat on his back waiting for his diaphragm to unclench and for his lungs to fill with air. Before he attempted to move, he mentally checked his entire body and not feeling anything alarming he slowly rolled over onto his knees before he stood up.

Gaius had managed to find his way down to join them but had hovered between the two of them, unsure of what to do. John was suddenly grateful for the extra medical emergency training Beckett had insisted all of the off world teams be given.

He had been extremely lucky but Jayne had not been so fortunate. He examined her critically, pale and shaky her left leg lay impossibly twisted beneath her, a serious compound fracture. The wrist on the same side was already swollen and most certainly was broken. He could not see any obvious head injury and she responded to his touch with a soft moan.

He administered what first aid he could and carefully covered her with a thin, woolen shawl he found in the leather pouch and then wrapped her securely in the Mylar emergency blanket he still carried in his vest.

John sat down beside her and waited, a knot of tension twisting him up inside. He would have to leave her. He would have to leave them behind and go for help.

"You should go now before you lose the light," she said slowly, startling John out of his reverie, "and take Gaius with you."

"No," the young man exclaimed, "I'm staying here with you."

It was the first time he had spoken since the whole misadventure had started.

"Listen to me. One of you needs to make it through the gate or I will die. If something should happen to Major Sheppard than my life is in your hands," she told him, the effort to speak igniting a fit of coughing that left her breathless and her lips and teeth stained red.

John looked away, so she couldn't see the fear in his eyes, she didn't think she would make it and if they didn't get help soon, he was afraid she was right.

"We were just about to leave," John lied, getting quickly to his feet.

"Thank you," Jayne whispered, her brilliant green eyes meeting his gaze until slowly they closed and with a quiet moan she succumbed to the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Word Count: 28, 673**

**Part 5**

He could sense the approaching jumper well before it appeared in front of him, decloaking and, he would swear to this, humming with anticipation. He gave a lazy wave in greeting and laughed when he could hear McKay even before the back hatch had begun to open.

He waved off the medic instead deftly taking McKay's place in the co-pilot's seat, ignoring the man's words that he let flow over him; not having the energy to deal with his friend right now. His palms itched to take the controls but he knew he was in no condition to fly right now and instead quietly directed the marine pilot to where they had left Jayne.

His jaws tensed as he saw the shiny, silver bundle laying on a tiny, narrow outcropping of rock. He hadn't realized, or maybe he just hadn't let himself see, how precarious their position had been and how close they both had come to dying.

Once she was safely on board, he slumped down in the back of the jumper, squeezing in beside Rodney who with a frown was typing ferociously on his laptop.

"So, used the Wraith memory chip to identify and track the hive that took us, uh?"

"I didn't think you were listening," Rodney huffed, his fingers still flying across the keyboard.

"Just, thanks McKay," John told him, suddenly feeling lightheaded and queasy.

Rodney stopped and looked at him.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Sheppard, just give it up, and put your head back and rest," he exclaimed shutting down the laptop, "I've got your back," he told him more quietly and with an intensity that puzzled John for a moment.

Finally, with a hint of a smile on his lips John leaned back, closed his eyes, and then let himself tilt sideways, where, with his head resting on Rodney's shoulders and the jumper humming pleasantly beneath his feet, sleep overcame him.

~ * ~

It was morning and he was feeling better than he should. Debriefing at 0900 hrs in Weir's office and he had a lot to do before then. After a much-needed shower and a freshly laundered uniform, John headed down to his office where he knows he can easily waylay the company's three Captains and find out exactly what has been going on while he was gone.

He knows that it's the last place they will expect him to be, because he has actually only been in his office once, when he had first moved in. The honeymoon was over. It was time for the marines to find out just what it really meant to have an air force officer in command.

"Walczak, Perez, Johnson, in my office now."

Teyla was unhappy, that threw off his team dynamic, and that made him unhappy. He had frowned at the solemn expression on Teyla's face. The fact that some of them had suspected the Athosians, had suspected Teyla, of betraying Atlantis to the Wraith did not sit well with him much less with Teyla.

The fact that the cause of their Wraith encounters had been traced to a Wraith trap that John himself had inadvertently activated did not entirely appease Sergeant Bates . Sergeant Bates, John speculated, would always be unhappy. John thought that maybe catching and interrogating their very own Wraith should have helped but every time he caught Bates suspicious glare he knew it had not been enough.

In between relocating and helping the Athosians settle in on the mainland and interrogating their special guest, John found that Jayne had been conscious for a week now and he had yet been to visit.

Gaius, had been immediately returned to Issia at the request of his family.

It was a little late in the evening to be going to the infirmary but he thought it might be a good time to stop in while he had the chance.

Jayne was still awake and although she still looked tired, bruised and well, horrible; she was doing reasonably well. Thanks to the ancient medical equipment, the prognosis for a full recovery was excellent. Without the medical treatment, Beckett and his team had been able to provide she certainly would have been crippled for life.

John looked around warily, for the other reason it had taken so long for him to come by. He was avoiding Carson, who for sure would want him to help calibrate the new medical equipment they had discovered.

"Hey, you're looking much better. How are you doing?"

"I am doing quite well, Major Sheppard, thank you for asking."

Lowering his voice John leaned in close, "I heard that Beckett was able to test some of the ancient equipment on you. Uhm, how did that work out for you?"

"Ach, lad, ye make it sound like I was experimenting on the poor thing," Carson bellowed as he quietly came around the corner, knowing that it would make John jump. "Don't listen to him lass, he just knows it's his turn the next time he comes in bloodied and broken."

"It was fine Major," she told him, "though the bone knitter does make you itch in strange places."

John watched as Carson fiddled around with the IV lines and monitors that still surrounded her.

"Well, I just wanted to pop in to see how you were doing, so I guess I'll, uhm, see you around."

"Major? Aren't you forgetting something?"

John tensed, for a second thinking that maybe he had made promises he shouldn't have. The whole ordeal had been more difficult than he had realized and by the end, he had been exhausted and a little loopy. He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when he realized she was holding out a piece of paper for him to take.

"If you don't mind, you do remember that Dr Weir said it would be permissible for you to pass on a note to let a friend of mine know what happened and that I'm alright. Ask for Secretary Baltos, he'll know what to do."

"You look beat, I should go. Oh, and don't forget we still have Issiabella's journals. You still think they might be interested?"

"Oh, yesh," Jayne told him slurring her words lazily.

John suppressed a smile; Carson must have slipped her something. He was sneaky when he wanted his most stubborn patients to rest, thinking he knew what was best for them and some of the time, John had to admit to himself, he did.

Jayne trailed off and John knew she would be out for the rest of the night.

~ * ~

She worked hard not to show it, but she couldn't help but worry about her people especially her flagship team. Though they were late dialing home it was still within acceptable parameters. It was too soon to be concerned, Elizabeth told herself firmly.

She had spoken to their guest and had begun to build a picture of a culture bound by tradition and ceremony. She had told her of a world whose wealth lay in an extensive trade network and a vibrant marketplace.

"Scheduled gate activation. It's Lt Ford's IDC," the gate technician told her.

She nodded, suppressing a sigh of relief.

"Lower the shield Sergeant."

"…told you not to touch anything. I specifically asked you not to go in there, McKay. Did I not tell you to 'Let it go,' McKay?" John shouted as he walked through the silvery blue puddle and into the gate room, his hands uncharacteristically gesticulating widely.

"But it was there, I swear, a significant energy signature, and even accounting for the electrical interference from what those idiots laughingly refer to as power distribution grid there is no question it clearly indicated the presence of a sophisticated power source."

"Do you have any idea what you've done, McKay?" John ground out, having stopped and turned to face down the other man.

Startled, Elizabeth glanced over quickly at the other two members of Atlantis' alpha team and felt some of the tension ease out of her shoulders. Teyla had the look of an aggrieved parent of a pair of squabbling teenagers. Elizabeth guessed it was only her innate patience and diplomacy that prevented her from using one of her sticks to smack them both, right in the middle of the gate room.

Ford, for once, did not sport his usual grin but instead seemed to be trying to suppress his laughter and from the snorting and choking sounds, she heard not doing a very good job of it.

"ZED. PEE. EM. Major. Does that hold any significance for you, Major? Uh? I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

The two men were now facing each other, John's hand hung protectively over the side of his P-90 carefully keeping a safe no touch zone between the weapons. Elizabeth was sure that otherwise they would literally be nose to nose.

"Just, don't think you're going to get out of it, McKay," John told him, in exasperation, his finger poking into the front of Rodney's tac vest for emphasis "You will be there if I have to drag you hollering and biting through the damn gate myself."

"Fine, I'll be there," Rodney growled low and gravelly, his blue eyes flashing, his lips pressed into a thin quivering line, "you naughty monkey."

John's mouth opened, then closed, then opened, and closed again, while behind him Teyla and Ford broke the sudden, absolute stillness that had descended on the gate room when they both crumpled over in breathtaking, gut-wrenching laughter.

John said nothing more, executed a precise about face, and strode in long, distance eating strides towards the infirmary, a simple wave over his head acknowledging Elizabeth's request that the team debrief in an hour.

By the time John had exited the transporter outside the infirmary the twitch in his lips had exploded into a wide grin. What Rodney seemed to have forgotten was that whereas a mischievous looking monkey like creature was the official sign of John's brand new Issian rank, McKay's bore a remarkable resemblance to a bloated goldfish.

He wondered idly just how many fish he and Carson could manage to catch and release, release into Rodney's room that is, before the scientist went to bed tonight.

~ * ~

"So let me get this straight, when Rodney walked into the antechamber his gene activated a device that measured the strength of his gene and it was on that basis that you both were conferred the rank of Honourary Companion."

"Major?" Elizabeth asked her gaze expectant. She was still unclear as to the source of the conflict between the two men.

"I could sense the device from where we were sitting and clearly and more than once I might add, asked McKay not to enter the room in question and when I was distracted he did anyhow," John told her, his voice rising on the last few words as he directed a sharp look at Rodney.

"Distracted? You mean while you were busy flirting, don't you Major Kirk?"

"I was gathering valuable Intel, can I help it if she was pretty, and don't call me that."

"Oh, please what valuable information, did she gratefully impart Major."

"Well, McKay, as a matter of fact she's the one who told me all about the mind numbing, back breaking, stomach churning three day investiture ceremony followed by a formal gala that I was desperately trying to avoid."

"Stomach churning?" Rodney squeaked.

"Nothing to eat but curdled goat's milk and stale bread, symbolic of what the first Companions were reduced to during a siege," John told him, a hint of triumph in his voice.

"Oh my God and you couldn't stop it. Why didn't you just turn off the damn device?"

"I tried McKay but since you had already scurried in there against my professional advice it was too late. Why do you think we only ended up as ninth and seventh degree level companions?"

"Oh, no you don't blame me for…"

"Oh yes, I do, I should have been the dragon, McKay," John hissed, "Dr Weir, can I ask for a do over?" he added, his gaze shifting over to her.

"No, Major," she told him while carefully maintaining a neutral expression "no do overs allowed."

"You're right," John agreed visibly deflating, "this is enough to give us an in, a chance to poke around some more."

"Rodney, you mentioned the possibility of a ZPM?"

"More than a possibility, there's definitely something there. As the Major pointed out, we now have a legitimate reason to be there. If it exists, I'll find it."

"Rodney, and if you do find something we will attempt to negotiate a trade. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Elizabeth, I haven't forgotten, no stealing the stupid natives pretty zero point module."

"So what else can you tell me about the Issians?" she asked, throwing the question out to the entire team.

It was Teyla who, surprisingly, and without hesitation answered first.

"The Issians are the rudest, most arrogant and ignorant people I have ever met," Teyla reported with all her usual calm and grace, "Honoured Secretary Baltos was particularly persistent."

"She's being polite," John interjected, "she means he was a pompous ass who just would not shut up about anything."

"I see, and Mr. Diraldo. "

"Gaius was still really shaken up. I think this whole thing was a test of courage that he didn't do as well on as he would have liked," John told them with a slight grimace, "His father, Counselor Diraldo, now he was an OK guy. He was really grateful that we saved his son."

"Grateful enough to facilitate trade negotiations?"

"Definitely."

"And the Warriors?"

"From what I could see not what we had been hoping for, but Teyla and Ford, they spent more time with the grunts then we did," he told Elizabeth, deferring to his teammates.

"Lieutenant Ford, what are your thoughts?"

"The Major's right, the army is small and not well trained and their equipment and weapons are pretty basic. The Warriors are more like palace guards, you know like the kind you find in Buckingham Palace or in the Vatican."

"Dr Weir, if I might make a suggestion?"

"Please, Teyla, go ahead."

"I believe the Issians strength lies with their trading system. We were given a short tour of the central marketplace and it was impressive. I believe we should explore our options. "

"You think we should ask them for pointers, Teyla?" John asked puzzled.

"No, we can do much better than that Major," Teyla told him, her lips curled up into a small contented smile "I suggest we seek to employ one of their traders."

"Wait, wait," McKay said, having evidently been following the conversation while he also worked at the equations on his data pad. By now, Teyla was not surprised.

"You want us to send out headhunters to poach their employees? That will go over well, you think?"

"He's got a point there, Teyla," John told her.

Teyla frowned, unsure of the cultural reference to which Rodney was referring.

"What I am suggesting is that it may not be too difficult to persuade one of their best gate travelers to help us if they already happen to be here on Atlantis."

"I made discrete enquiries," Teyla told them, before anyone could ask.

"That is interesting," Elizabeth murmured, more to herself. Jayne had failed to point out that particular bit of information but to be fair she had not asked.

"Major, is that sparkle in your eyes the beginnings of a plan?"

John was leaning back, slouched lazily in the chair, a speculative expression on his face.

"Maybe," he admitted, with a smug, tantalizing little smile.

"Well get your thoughts in order and we'll meet again in three days. I will see you both first thing tomorrow to discuss fittings for your formal wear and Major, both you and Rodney will be present, am I clear?" she told them both sternly, overriding their groans of dismay.

"Rodney?"

"Fine, can I go now?"

"Yes, ma'am, crystal clear," John snapped out, a smile softening the formality of his reply.

John hated black tie functions but understood the value of ceremony and tradition. It had been a long time but he still remembered how to work a room and he had the feeling there was more to the Issians than appeared on the surface. Besides, watching Rodney navigate his way through the stiff and proper Issian society was going to be nothing less than hilariously entertaining.

John left the conference room, with a light step, and headed down to the east pier where he would meet Carson. Looked like a beautiful day to go fishing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Word Count: 28, 673**

**Part 6**

It was Jayne's first day out of the infirmary since she had first arrived in Atlantis and it had taken her the better part of an hour to labouriously make her way through the city on the crutches Dr Beckett had given her. She suspected that he had intended their use for small jaunts to and from the mess hall and the guest quarters that had been assigned to her.

It had been suggested to her that she could help them locate the worlds cited in the journals the Lanteans had found. She was unsure about working with the scientists but if she wanted to stay on Atlantis she would have to offer something of use or she would soon find herself back on Issis.

Her marine escort, Cpl Asher, had offered to 'fetch' a wheelchair for her use but one look at the expression of scorn on her face had him grinning from ear to ear. His Texan drawl thickened as he regaling her with stories of his gramps that at the age of ninety-one still walked the width of the family ranch.

By the time she stood in front of science lab four, she had learned never to drop your gun to hug a grizzly or presumably a Wraith. She knew to always drink upstream from the herd, especially on PX6-122, and lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back or what to keep in mind before confiding in Dr Zalenka, and that everything in Texas is BIG.

She hesitated in front of the door of the lab, wondering if she really wanted to do this. After all there were some things that were best left undiscovered and these people were scary smart. Smart enough to discover her secrets. Secrets that, for now, were best left alone.

It had only been a suggestion. What choice did she really have? Having decided to go through with it she mentally braced herself and the door slid open in response to her thoughts with only a slight shush. With a nod of encouragement from Cpl Asher she hobbled bravely forward.

"Unless you are carrying at least two cups of coffee I suggest you get out now," Rodney growled without looking up from his work.

"Will one really big one do, Dr McKay," Jayne asked, handing him a mostly full, oversized cup of fresh, albeit lukewarm, black coffee. The marines on duty in the kitchen had not known or cared what Dr McKay took in his coffee but watching him drink half the cup in two gulps she figured it really didn't matter.

"So, uh, how can I help you?" he finally asked her suspiciously.

"Major Sheppard thought that I might be able to help you identify some of the worlds Issis talked about in her journals, but you're busy, I'll come back another time," Jayne told him nervously, as she started to shuffle her way out the door.

"Oh, right, I forgot, I mean Sheppard mentioned it to me, but, wait, don't' go, …HEY… don't touch that," Rodney scolded as he threw himself between Jayne and a particularly alluring piece of tech, "some of this stuff is deadly even for the non-carriers if they're not careful."

"Oh, sorry," she said with a flash of pure joy, "but it felt so pretty."

"Look," he told her herding her to one side of the room "it's safer if you stay over here, I'll get the laptop."

Rodney pulled up the appropriate files and gave her limited access to the Atlantis database, showing her how to navigate through the system. She caught on quickly and the truth was that Rodney was a very good teacher when he wanted to be and so soon he was back at work analyzing and cataloguing the ancient devices.

"What did you mean when you said it felt pretty?" Rodney asked her suddenly.

"I, uh, don't know what you mean," she stuttered, nervous and wary.

Rodney reached over and pulled over a crate upon which was scrawled 'Golden Boy'. He reached inside, pulled out a small rectangular pad, and held it out to her.

"Tell me how this one feels."

Jayne didn't move at first, but sat utterly still for so long that Rodney had almost given up, but then, she took the device and ran her fingers along its smooth, flat surface stopping to trace the edge of each sharp corner. The screen lit up but continued to flicker in and out.

"It feels broken, like there's a loose connection."

Rodney just stared at her in silence for a moment.

"You live on a world that confers its highest honours on people possessing the ATA gene. I could make arrangements for you to be tested, but that won't be necessary will it?"

"No," she responded with a deep sigh of resignation, "no, that won't be necessary."

She tried not to let the panic show. Those with the ancestral blood were rare and until the Lanteans had come to visit there had not been any new ranks awarded in many generations. She herself had so far avoided detection not intending to serve the Issians.

"I don't believe it, you pulled a Sheppard," Rodney declared rather loudly, his hands almost swiping her in the head.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"Did you manipulate the device to register at a lower level or just turn it off completely? Sheppard tried to deactivate it but he didn't have enough warning, you would have had plenty of time."

"Come on, what is your animal spirit, angry chicken, snarling hyena, flying dragon?"

A Bast," she muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"A cat, a big, very black cat."

"Really, a cat? That was interesting, and Sheppard he's not really a dragon, is he?"

"I would have though at least a Bast, but from the way the city reacts to him I'd say more probably something much higher on the spirit scale, maybe an Aquilla. It's a black eagle," she added before Rodney could ask.

He thought of Sheppard and how he had last seen the man; leaning casually against the lab wall, arms crossed in front of him, one foot tucked behind the other.

Unbidden an image flashed brightly, of a panther, it's tail lashing, paws treading lightly, the dappled light filtering through a rainforest canopy accentuating the absolute blackness of its silky fur, eyes shades of swirling green and brown locking into his own startled, hunger filled gaze.

Oh, he could so see Sheppard as a cat though a magnificent bird of prey soaring through the sunlit clouds would be cool too, but, wow, Sheppard as a cat, that was so hot, he thought, shaking off the shivers that ran up his spine.

"God I can't believe it, another one," he muttered to himself. "Just tell me why?"

"I prefer it this way, and if you told them the truth, my life would be much more difficult."

Her life would be a misery. She would leave, abandoning everything before she accepted the life expected of a high-ranking Issian sister.

"Don't worry, it won't come from me and contrary to what some people may think I can so keep a secret. Hello, worked on top secret projects for ten years now besides I've met the Issians and the farther away from them you can get, the better off you'll be."

"Can you, while you're here, just tell me what this one feels like," Rodney asked, suddenly shy, handing her a golden cylinder.

"It feels old and tired and like it's too rusted to move properly. I think I can loosen it up."

All the items that the lesser gene carriers were unable to activate were set aside for when John had some time to spare. Rodney pulled out each piece and each time asked Jayne to tell him how it felt. Rodney hadn't felt this elated since he had first sensed the presence of Atlantis following the therapy that had given him a part of John's ATA gene.

The rest of the day had gone better than he had expected. Jayne gets over her initial nervousness and does not leave in a huff or worse, in tears. They worked quietly and efficiently, at least, after he had threatened Zalenka with a month of off-world missions if anyone interrupted him again for anything less than the imminent and total destruction of Atlantis type crisis.

Unlike John, Jayne didn't deliberately try to push his buttons, which didn't mean she hadn't caused him to go all red faced or, at least once, had him literally bouncing off the nearest wall in an apoplectic fit.

Whereas John poked at things like an eager puppy, Jayne had more finesse. Lightly stroking the artifacts, she persuaded where John ordered. Furthermore, as she sometimes was able to 'maneuver around the interface', to activate otherwise damaged objects she could make recommendations for repairs. Damn if Rodney could figure out what she was doing much less how she did it.

"I thought that maybe a new alien species had teleported your entire lab onto their intergalactic UFO. I don't think it's ever been this quiet, McKay. Are you sure you're OK?" John drawled as he leaned up against the door jam.

"Major Sheppard," Jayne exclaimed, "it's nice to see you again."

Rodney couldn't help but notice how she had dropped her work even before he knew anyone was around and had moved so that it looked as if she was just heading over to him. She really didn't want anyone else to know, including Sheppard.

Rodney filed this little tidbit away, might be worth something. Maybe worth more lightswitch duty, make up for the times Sheppard refused to cooperate. Really did the Marines need that much training?

"Yeah, it's always a blast," Rodney snorted without looking up from his work, "how did the Wraith baiting go?"

"Well, he blinked."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I thought I'd come by and see if you two wanted to go for dinner," John continued ignoring Rodney and leaning over in an attempt to poke at one of the devices.

"Stop it, don't touch," Rodney snarled, and he started to gather the artifacts in closer.

"Hey I like this one."

Rodney groaned when he turned around to find a glowing display of light and color above John's head. The patterns expanded and filled the room.

"Wow," John murmured as the lights began to pulse and dance, culminating in a firework type display that ended abruptly, leaving the three occupants of the room with a strong feeling of euphoria.

"Whoa, McKay you should have Beckett lock this up with the good drugs."

"I hate you," Rodney muttered under his breath pretending to hate the warm and tingly feeling he could still sense as he watched John practically skip down the hallway to the transporter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Word Count: 28, 673**

**Part 7**

It was late at night and the team had gathered in the off hours kitchenette, everyone really too keyed up to sleep yet. They had just returned from an easy trading mission on KXP-179 where the locals were happy to trade their excess grain for several of the large buffalo like creatures the Marines had brought home last week.

The marines on kitchen duty always made sure there was sufficient provisions left in the kitchen for the graveyard shifts or for the off world teams whose internal clocks were off standard Atlantis time. Sometimes it was like flying through several time zones and today his team was suffering from gate lag.

"OK, Major, spill it. What is this marvelous plan of yours?"

"Oh, I don't know, McKay" John replied with a wink at Teyla "I think that this plan is on a need to know basis."

"Hah, there is no plan, Captain on a Wing and a Prayer."

"That's Major Wing it, McKay," John snarked back taking some more of the pasta salad Ford had assembled as he kept a careful watch on Teyla's activities.

Teyla may have the skills to forage and hunt for edible plants and all kinds of wildlife but she was an incredibly lousy cook. The problem was that she didn't know it, or maybe she just didn't want to admit it. The men on the team had learned quite quickly how to divert her whenever it looked like she might want to do more than make a pot of tea.

Surprisingly enough, it was Ford, who picked up the slack when they needed or wanted to supplement the MRE offerings. His grandmother apparently was a fabulous cook whose recipes consisted of lists of ingredients and nothing else. Ford had picked up this method of slapping together a meal of whatever was available and cooking it until it was delicious.

"Milk, Major?"

"Fresh or powdered?"

McKay looked at him as if he had grown an extra head and he shrugged and took the glass that was offered to him.

"It would seem to me," Teyla said quietly as she delicately speared a piece of rotini on her fork, "that the art of persuasion would go more smoothly if we were all friends."

"Sir?" Ford ventured. The man was entirely too cheerful to be a Marine, John

thought. "There's only one thing we can do," continued Ford unperturbed "we'll adopt her, the team I mean," he finished with a happy smile.

John grinned and Rodney looked thoughtful.

"That is a wonderful idea Lt Ford," Teyla beamed.

"I'll speak to Weir about involving her in future mission planning and taking her out with us. Ford in the meantime put her down on next week's civilian off world training sessions. She's not going anywhere until she's passed the geek qualifiers."

"Yes, sir."

"McKay?"

"Fine, we'll adopt her, we'll win her over with our winning smiles and invite her to our off world sleep overs."

Despite their best intentions real life interfered with their plans. First, it was the suicide kid planet that still creeped him out when he let himself really think about it and then they stumbled onto the Hoffans.

Jayne hadn't heard of kid world but it didn't seem to surprise her much making John wonder what else she had seen. She had contacts on Hoff, though and asked if she could come on one of their trips. John hesitated but Elizabeth pointed out that this was perhaps a good way to start a working relationship.

When she disappeared he was at first furious and then when the anger had burned off it was replaced with a small knot of worry and maybe a smidgen of betrayal that she had simply walked away. By the time Beckett and Perna had completed their work John had other distractions to occupy him and sent Teyla to deal with what he really didn't want to think about anymore.

The Wraith had been sacrificed and the Hoffans were well along the path to their own destruction when John's smoldering concern had again flared into a bright blazing outrage.

It sputtered out and died leaving a lump in his throat when Teyla arrived with the other woman who swayed and even tripped over her own feet more than once. Her smile of gratitude as she accepted Teyla's offer of support was forced.

At first he thought that maybe she had taken Beckett's serum and was ill, she looked so bad, but it was simply exhaustion and doing too much, too soon, after what had been a serious injury.

"She was able to persuade and then find sanctuary for some of the Hoffan ," Teyla told him quietly, "and to acquire these," she added holding up a small, padded carton packed tight with ancient data crystals. "Not everyone agrees with the government's decision."

"There's nothing more you can do here Major," Jayne told him with a scowl "you can't save everyone," she muttered darkly.

John didn't have much to say about that but he had plenty to say about who was in command and the stupidity of going off on your own and a jumbled mix of lectures and tirades that at one time or another he himself had experienced.

What followed afterwards, when they had returned to Atlantis and licked their respective wounds was a battle of wills. Jayne had agreed to think about Elizabeth's proposal to help the Lanteans broker more trades and negotiate alliances but balked when John insisted she participate in the same off world training all the civilians were required to do before they were allowed off world.

He was charming, warm, and persistent and in the end, she agreed that taking advantage of the expertise that was offered to her was not a bad thing and might even prove useful.

~ * ~

She took a deep breath and strode purposefully towards the armory and the firing range.

"Miss Chaillot, can I help you?"

It was Sergeant Bates and judging from the slight smirk on his face, he had meant to startle her. He had never really warmed up to her, always projecting an aura of antagonism and suspicion which might have upset her more if she hadn't realized that this was his default setting.

"I was told to report for the civilian sidearm and weapons training at 1300 hours. Am I in the wrong place?"

"You're in the right place but I haven't received authorization to allow you near the armory and," he said with an undisguised sneer and tapping a battered clipboard "you are not on the schedule."

"That's OK, Sergeant," she said with the saccharin sweet smile she reserved for pompous bureaucrats and arrogant tribal leaders, "I'd rather not be here anyways. I find projectile weaponry to be somewhat primitive and brutal," she said in a tone that implied she felt the same way about him.

"I'll escort you back to your quarters myself, Miss Chaillot," he replied coolly and succinctly, though the way he clenched his jaw spoke volumes.

She turned to leave and slammed right into John.

"Where's McKay? I've been running around looking for you both," he told her with a scowl.

"Imminent explosion, southeast conduit. I guess he was too rushed to call."

"I know what he's doing and it won't work."

"Sergeant Bates, check on McKay and if nothing is about to explode then you know what to do," he ordered while maintaining eye contact with her.

She heard a slight crick and wondered if the Sergeant had cracked a tooth his jaw was clenched so tight.

John had set up the McKay training schedule for those scientists who like McKay required an armed escort to ensure they showed up for their sidearm and hand to hand combat training. No one was allowed off world in any capacity without the basics and every one had to maintain a basic level of competency.

After a few incidents and a couple of sheepish civilians, McKay was the only one left on the list. John suspected that Rodney secretly enjoyed the confrontation and baiting the devil dogs of Atlantis.

"Shall I escort Miss Chaillot to the firing range now, Major Sheppard?"

The Sergeant had developed a slight twitch in his right eye.

"Nah, Sergeant, I'll take care of this one. Dismissed."

"Thank you, Sir."

Jayne watched the marine exit, ramrod, parade perfect.

"The man's going to give himself a coronary," she muttered.

John just snorted and shook his head.

"I'd like you come with us when we go to M7X-518 in a couple of weeks," he told her.

"And before I can go off world I have to pass the geek qualifiers," she rattled off with a small smile. "You do know that I'm an experienced gate traveler. I can take care of myself."

"Maybe, after I'm done you'll be able to take care of yourself even better. Come on let's get to it," he told her firmly as he gathered the equipment they would need and ushered her into the firing range.

"The M9 is a double-action, recoil-operated semiautomatic pistol with a dual-stack magazine," John told her.

"This is your personal sidearm," he continued as he watched her strap on the thigh holster with a critical eye, making small adjustments until he was satisfied.

"Magazine holds 15 rounds and the effective range is 150 feet."

John examined the pistol and re-checked the magazine before handing it to her. It felt heavy and strange and not what she was used to at all. She sighed, as beautiful as Atlantis was she missed Issia. She missed the people she had come to care for.

She pulled the ear protection on and adjusted the safety glasses before she quickly emptied the entire clip, each shot firing in quick succession.

"Well, that was impressive. The noise didn't make you jump and you didn't anticipate the recoil, and really your shots are pretty tight, too bad you didn't hit the target."

Jayne just grinned at him, her eyes bright with suppressed excitement.

"That's what you're here for Major, show me how," she told him in a breathless rush.

Hand to hand combat training was not nearly such a happy affair. Her movements were precise, methodical, controlled and so slow his grandmother would have gotten the drop on her if he still had one. He finally pulled her out of the group for some private lessons with the team because he could see she was really trying.

"Stop thinking about it, just react."

"Major, as much as I'd like to sit here and watch someone worse at this than me, I really do have work to do, vital, important work."

"Can it McKay, this is a team bonding exercise and as team leader I'm ordering you to stay. Next week you're up for your re-cert."

"Jayne, I will tell you this again. He's a marine and you can't hurt him. Ford has she hurt you?"

"No, sir, not even close."

"Sheppard this is totally ridiculous. I'm leaving."

"Teyla, kick his ass, please."

"What? No, no, no, no."

"Dr. McKay, I would be most unhappy if Major Sheppard were forced to remove you from the mission roster, with your permission. Please."

"OK fine, but Sheppard I'm telling Carson it's your fault when I'm lying broken in the infirmary. I hate you."

John ignored Rodney as Teyla took him through some warm up exercises and he continued to watch Jayne. She had been quick enough to learn the moves but the flow was off. He scowled because he was sure he was missing something. He found his gaze straying yet again to the extraordinary tattoo that rose above the neckline of the laced vest she was wearing.

Athosian in design the garment was sleeveless and low cut enough to reveal a tattoo of a black cat. Sleek, lean and muscular the feline figure seemed to have been frozen magically in a midair leap, its eyes the exact shade of green as Jayne's own. He called it a tattoo but he had never seen anything quite like it and being in the military and the CO of a company of marines he had seen his share of body art.

He quickly tore his gaze away before he was caught looking, again. It was the elephant in the room. Teyla had quietly explained that certain cultures believed such a mark to be protection against a Wraith feeding but John knew how wrong that notion was first hand. Teyla had been too polite to ask about it.

McKay had gotten the hint when John had kicked him at the first intake of breath before he said anything awkward and insensitive and Ford just hadn't stopped grinning long enough to speak much. For himself, he had the feeling that she had given him another piece of the puzzle and asking felt kind of like cheating.

Eventually John signed off on both Rodney's and Jayne's off world training. He knew both were capable enough, heck it was the military's job to keep them safe, all the civilians needed was enough training to not be a danger to themselves or their team.

The mission to M7X-518 was postponed after they ran into a little bit of trouble on the Genii home world. He should have known there was going to be trouble as soon as he offered to trade C4 for the almost-something-like-wheat the nice Amish looking farmers grew but John sometimes had difficulty recognizing his own foot in his mouth.

Elizabeth had been pissed. In retrospect as he sat staring at a primitive, yet deadly genii weapon he had to admit it had been a bad idea. Apparently, he really sucked at trading for necessities.

It doesn't help that when the team returns he finds that accompanied only by Corporal Asher Jayne has brokered a deal with some of the farmers in the Arthorus market to exchange brute labor for a percentage of the crops. The heavily armed marines guarding the perimeters around the fields to be harvested are an added bonus.

The marines are skeptical at first but eventually concede that it's no worse than any other field exercises and actually begin to incorporate drills and limited combat simulations into their harvesting forays much to the chagrin of the locals.

The first thing they bring home are the purple potatoes that are a 'yay-not-freeze dried' hit and the maize reminds John of the Indian corn his mother used to decorate the table at thanksgiving.

Reading the botanist's report on the Mashi seeds almost lands him in the infirmary when he chokes on the cookie he'd just dunked in his afternoon coffee. That the botanists had chosen to deliver their report while he sat in the mess was no coincidence.

The Mashi seeds, the most nutritionally complete food source the expedition has yet encountered, turned out to be Cannabis sativa. John supposes he had better break the news to the marines, who no doubt have returned with enough foliage stuffed down their pants to fill several scarecrows, that what they have is industrial hemp and not manna from heaven. It's two days before he runs across a scientist who doesn't have a shit eating grin on their face.

For every day that John and his team spends on the other side of the gate Jayne and Corporal Asher are gone for that times three.

It pays off though and Atlantis begins to build up a surplus of trade items. Jayne always takes a small cut but no one knows what she does with it, as she never brings it back to Atlantis.

Hunting services are exchanged for seed stock and chicken like birds for the Athosians to raise fresh eggs. They are smaller than normal and look more like spotted Easter eggs than hen eggs but inside they are the same and everyone lives for brunch day when the fresh eggs are served

Combat engineers repair a flood damaged bridge for beans, a sweet bean paste and a savory fermented bean product and the civilian engineers repair and refurbish an abandoned aquifer in exchange for future trade agreements and some nice cheese.

The medical and dental personnel who have long become used to accepting payment from patients who insist on bringing something, anything in trade, some as simple as a pine cone or a piece of fruit are way ahead in the race to be the top trader. That is if anyone is keeping score. This is thanks largely to the information given them that led to the ancient outpost filled with artifacts and the small, but still productive naquadah mine.

Gradually word gets around to the right places that the gate traveler Jayne is working and living with the Lanteans and other teams find trade negotiations are sometimes, if not easier, at least a little less hostile and a tad more honest.

~ * ~

It had been some weeks after the storm and the Genii invasion and John was feeling dark and twitchy. Sitting in a secluded corner of the mess, he watched as Jayne and Corporal Asher entered having just returned from another successful off world adventure.

They'd not brought back anything in trade but the natives knew of ancestral ruins that Jayne insisted were worth investigating. John wonders how she could know that when she refuses to touch any of their technology much less carry it around and actually use it.

John knows that he is giving in to a certain paranoia that had not been there before Koylaa had tried to take the city but he can't help but wonder. Jayne has been working and living with them for months now and they know little about her.

John's plan for his team to close ranks around her and persuade her to work for them had ultimately proven unnecessary. Once Jayne had healed sufficiently she had worked diligently to help the expedition acquire new trading partners and allies and she did it in her own way.

John was in a dark enough mood these days to ask himself, 'why?' What did she get out of it? What was her motive? Was she playing them?

She stubbornly refused to join any of the off world teams and instead went through the gate with a single partner, usually Corporal Asher or if he was unavailable then it was Teyla or twice now, Dr Picard.

John had already spoken to all three partners and even Asher, who has spent the most time with her, had to admit grudgingly that he had learned nothing new about her other than the fact that she was good at what she did. She was very good.

John's casual attempts to get to know the woman better had so far been stymied by their conflicting schedules. Or maybe she was just avoiding him, he thought, as he watched her pick up a tray and head in his direction and then abruptly swerve to join a couple of medics instead.

"Hey what are you doing sitting in the corner all by yourself, uh," Rodney exclaimed as he came up behind John.

Rodney's hands started waving emphatically in front of John's nose the second his tray hit the table.

"Stop brooding, the emo look just doesn't look good on you."

"Not brooding," John told him quietly.

"Hey didn't I see Jayne come in here," Rodney asked as he shoveled food into his mouth and looked around.

"She was but she did an about face when she saw you coming," John snarked half-heartedly.

To his surprise instead of a swift comeback, Rodney hunched in on himself and started eating even faster, avoiding all eye contact with John. Oh. It wasn't him she was avoiding then.

"Rodney, what did you do?"

"Nothing, gotta go," Rodney told him hastily. He would have catapulted out the door if John hadn't physically restrained him, forcing the scientist back into his chair.

John shifted his chair over until he was sitting shoulder to shoulder with the other man. He hadn't let go yet.

"What did you do?" John asked slowly, clearly enunciating each word.

For a moment, Rodney looked around him frantically hoping for a distraction but the table John had chosen was out of the way and finally he gave it up with a muttered curse under his breath.

"I may have tried to take advantage of something I accidentally found out about her."

"You have something on her?"

"Yeah, it's nothing bad," he hastily added seeing the look of concern on John's face.

"I just kind of promised that if it got out it wouldn't be from me."

John grinned but didn't say anything.

"Hey, I can keep a secret," Rodney protested, as he absently rubbed the spot on his arm where Koylaa had sliced him open.

John's grin faded as he watched the display of emotions play across Rodney's face, anger, disgust, resignation.

"I know you can Rodney," John told him softly.

"Finish your lunch, we have work to do."

John leaned back in his chair and sipped at his coffee, a hint of a smile on his mouth as he turned over the possibilities in his mind. Investigating the ruins on M7X-518 would give him the perfect opportunity. Like it or not, it was time for Jayne to get up close and personal.


	8. Chapter 8

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Word Count: 29,368**

**A/N **

There are problems with uploading chapter and I'm trying a work around by editing the first chapter uploaded with contents of Chapter 8. Hope this works.

For those of you who pay attention to that sort of thing, the word count has gone up because of some tweaking I did to this and the next chapter. This is the chapter with the naughty bits.

~*~

John woke up slowly, drifting lazily between the warmth of sleep and the clear light of wakefulness. One broad, callused hand was splayed perfectly across his chest keeping him close to the warmth that was behind him. He had taken a hold of the arm across his chest, keeping it in place and his other hand was draped easily across the silken skin of a slim feminine waist. A soft leg was hooked around his hip, which had gone a little numb.

He had woken up sweaty, sticky, and perfectly content in the middle of a tangle of arms and legs. If he were a cat, he would be purring with satisfaction but he wasn't and he really should be freaking out right about now. It was a testament to the varied ways the Pegasus galaxy had conspired to screw with him that this didn't bother him at all. Welcome to the 'aliens made me do it' club, he thought lazily.

He opened his eyes to meet Jayne's green-eyed gaze.

"You're remarkably calm this morning."

John shrugged, the movement of his shoulders causing Rodney to pull in closer and nuzzle into the back of his neck with a few garbled noises of protest.

"You mean, why aren't I freaking out?"

"Yes."

John thought about it.

He had started to feel it not long after the closing ceremony. The Clarions had insisted they join in their festival of life and light. It was their celebration of having survived the harsh winter and the anticipation of a bountiful summer's harvest.

A spring fling symbolized by the Solaris flower which to John looked just like a cross between a dwarf sunflower and a poppy except that is was this really weird variegated purple colour.

The festivities had ended with the serving of the sacred Solaris wine. A potent, golden liquid, which their host had confided was just a concentrated version of the ordinary beverage normally served and even the children enjoyed the watered down version on a daily basis.

The young men and women of the village had danced in with small, wooden trays some lined up with the small glasses of the wine and others laden with tiny fluted pots of some kind of caramel like custard. With a colourful swirl of pleated skirts and flounced sleeves, the servers had delicately deposited a portion in front of each honoured guest.

It began with the heightening of his senses. The colours around him were suddenly brighter and clearer and why hadn't he ever noticed before how good McKay smelled. The heady, spicy scent of Rodney to his right and the sweet, fruity smell of Jayne on his other side left him lightheaded and giddy. He licked his lips, the sweet, sour flavour of the ceremonial wine still there.

He could feel the fire moving from his belly and pooling into his groin and when he looked at Rodney's flushed skin and blown wide pupils he thanked God that Ford and Teyla had left early to go see some artistic flowery display in which she had expressed an interest. When Jayne had stood and grabbed a hold of his arm and buried her face in his neck with a whimper, he just knew that they shouldn't have drunk the ceremonial wine.

"I knew it, I knew it. We should never have drunk the wine. Nothing good ever comes from drinking the sacred wine. Oh, why did we drink the stupid, ceremonial wine?"

He couldn't stop himself from thinking what a bad idea it was to have drunk the wine. Oh, wait a minute that wasn't him. Rodney's reaction to the mess they were in was typical and loud. He hadn't stopped talking and though he had been reduced to blubbering, the words had not slowed down one bit.

He was leaning up against the same wall as John was, mostly still on his feet because John had a firm hold of him and wasn't letting go. They had managed to make it back to the small room that had been assigned to them and the three of them were flushed and panting harshly.

John at least had retained enough sense to get them out of the common house and into the relative safety of their room in the adjacent building. He hadn't liked the way the amply endowed first wife had looked at Rodney with that evil, evil leer.

Jayne's fists were curled up in his shirt and with her face buried in his chest it was hard to tell if she was whimpering or moaning but whatever it was the sound was shooting straight to his dick, which had sprung to attention some time between the appearance of the pretty colours and the tingling in his limbs.

"Shoot me now, shoot me now. Oh God, now I know how rabbits feel."

"Shut up McKay," John had growled as he pulled him in and kissed him.

John gasped into Rodney's mouth as Jayne, with a final groan, quickly and efficiently undid his belt and unzipped his BDU's and then pulled his pants and boxers down together in one smooth motion.

John's head slammed back into the wall behind him as hot, wet slickness surrounded him below while at the same time Rodney's firm, exploring tongue threatened to pull him under. With one hand behind Rodney's neck and the other tangled in Jayne's hair, John had the best sex of his life, a personal best record that was shattered no less than three times throughout the night.

"It could have been worse. No one died and we're not in a Wraith cell or shackled to the oars of a slave traders ship," he finally told her.

Jayne looked at him, her teeth biting lightly on her bottom lip, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You really are an optimist at heart, John Sheppard."

"Yeah, that's me," John told her with a warm smile that reached his hazel eyes, "I'm a glass half full kind of guy."

Half full until someone takes a shot and shatters the glass right in your hand, he thought, keeping that observation to himself.

~ * ~

"Yes, McKay we have to tell Carson and Elizabeth too," John told him for the millionth time.

Not surprisingly, Rodney had woken up in not the same optimistic frame of mind as John. At least it hadn't taken him that long to find out what had gone wrong. Agayan had been completely forthcoming, not that John thought he would try to deceive them what with Rodney choking him with his bare hands. As it turned out it wasn't the wine after all.

Their host was not a small man and when he had started to choke and turn blue because he was laughing so hard John really hoped that he would literally bust a gut as he collapsed onto the ground.

"It's all in the details, Major and we'll just leave some of them out, that's all."

"McKay, we ate a years supply," John ground out impatiently "we need to get checked out, whether you like it or not."

"How was I supposed to know it wasn't butterscotch pudding," Rodney grumbled morosely.

John looked at him, eyes narrowed. Yeah he was right. How were they to know? John would never trust anything, ever again, that arrived in tiny, attractive receptacles.

The pretty, fluted pots of cream that had been handed to them were filled with the aphrodisiac lotion that the Clarions produced from the stamens of the Solaris flower. It was a highly sought after commodity that was considered too precious to trade and instead was given away only to the most honoured guests. A little dab behind the ears and your next date was guaranteed to be a hit.

"Look, I'm sure Carson won't need all of the stuff for testing. How about we keep some aside? I'm sure once word gets out it'll be worth a few pounds of coffee or chocolate," John whispered into the scientist's ear.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that might make the inevitable a little more bearable."

"OK then, let's pick up the pace because I don't know about you but I didn't get much sleep last night and I sure would like to call an early night," John drawled, stretching out the last two words.

Rodney's lip twitched as if the words were fighting to get out but he didn't say anything and with a smirk John moved on ahead to take turn on point.

They had finally finished securing the site and setting up camp and John was ready to move onto phase two of his 'getting up close and personal' campaign. Although he never would have deliberately put himself or any member of his team into the position he had found himself in the night before, he was not about to pass up an opportunity either.

John left Rodney and Jayne huddled at opposite ends of their little fire pit and staked out his spot in the tent. He carefully laid his sleeping bag along the left with a slight smirk knowing that he would return to find it on the right side because for some bizarre reason Rodney could only sleep on the left side of the tent.

When he returns Teyla had gone to take care of personal business and Rodney and Jayne are sitting shoulder to shoulder under a single blanket. She is nodding as Rodney speaks his tone low but intense and urgent. John says nothing because even in the soft flickering firelight he can read the fierce warning in Rodney's expression as the scientist looks up at John's quiet approach.

John's not too worried though because Jayne's expression has gone from guarded to quiet bemusement. John thinks that maybe Rodney is apologizing because he has that look and rare as it is, John recognizes it.

With a slight nod to Teyla John settles himself down beside Rodney while Aiden takes the place beside Jayne. Teyla has the floor.

"Dr McKay, you have been upset all day," Teyla began, holding up her hand as McKay drew breath to respond "and I believe I can help ease the turmoil your unexpected intimacies may have caused."

John met her gaze and did not evade either Jayne's speculative sidelong glance or Rodney's glare.

"I really don't know what you mean, Teyla," Rodney huffed into the cool nighttime air.

"What do you want us to do?" Aiden asked, eager to please.

John had to give him credit, Aiden had not laughed, not once, at their misadventures the night before because even he could see that only by the grace of God was it that he hadn't been there when the pudding was served. That didn't mean that there hadn't been a perpetual grin plastered to his face the entire day.

"This came to the Athosians from my mother's bloodline that joined our people as a young girl. It has since become a part of the Athosian greeting ceremony. You will each take a turn and tell us three things about yourself."

"Oh, please," Rodney sputtered "like that'll work."

"Rodney," John said in warning though he could completely emphasize with him having found himself squirming, earlier, as Teyla had outlined what she had planned.

"OK, fine but we already know that he likes football, Ferris wheels and anything that goes really, really fast," Rodney glared at John who scowled in return.

"We each have to share something new, Dr McKay and I will begin."

Teyla took a moment to add gently a few pieces of fuel to the fire; the resulting sparks flying over their heads.

"The colour I find most pleasing is the pink sky of the Athosian sunset and the food I enjoy the most is popcorn," Teyla told the group with a wry smile.

Teyla pauses, and meets John's gaze before moving on to make eye contact with the rest of the group. Her smile is warm and her eyes eventually focus off into the distant trees behind them as she recalls the first time she spent more than a day away from home.

"The Valarians were intelligent, productive people whose fair and generous nature resulted in a successful and vibrant society. Their progress was their downfall as the Wraith cannot allow strength to succeed less it is their undoing."

Teyla frowned as John jabbed Rodney in the ribs once more.

"Dr McKay, did you have a question?"

"Yes, I do but every time I open my mouth someone pokes at me," Rodney told her, spitting out the words rapid fire and leaning away from John.

"It's just that we don't have all night, McKay," John told him wearily, fatigue showing in the tense lines of his face.

"Right, so what do the Valarians have to do with anything?"

Teyla sighed and continued to speak.

"While I was there the world was culled. It was the first time I had been caught in the open and unprepared. The culling beam swept over our group leaving myself and a small boy behind. Everyone else was taken."

She stopped again and John handed her a field cup filled with tea, which she accepted gratefully.

"The boy went on to become the leader of his village and when the Wraith came saved many lives and continues to do so. What I wished to share with you tonight is the lesson that I learned that day. I learned that sometimes things happen for a reason even though we may not understand nor appreciate this at the time. The boy and I believe, I, was spared that day for a reason. That is what I learned that day."

They were all silent for a moment, lost in their own thoughts, taking small sips of the tea.

"My favourite colour is green," Aiden announced suddenly "and my favourite food is my grandma's chocolate chips cookies."

John smiled at that because he had no trouble envisioning the young marine with a milk mustache dunking freshly made cookies while his grandmother hummed happily in the background.

"And when I was twelve, the family down the street was murdered right in their camper while they were on vacation. I guess you could say I learned a lesson because that was the first time I really understood that bad things happen to good people."

Geez, John thought, suddenly Aiden looked older than he usually did and every bit the marine that he knew him to be.

"I like yellow," Rodney told them in a low serious tone "but not that pale, watery yellow but the deep, bright shade you'd expect the Beatles to paint their submarine and my favourite food is southern fried chicken. No Major," Rodney continued seamlessly, preempting whatever protests John might have had, "not chocolate or coffee mainly because I don't consider them food anymore than I do the air I breathe."

"Rodney, if I can find a chicken would you show me how to make it Southern," Jayne asked, a smile on her face.

Other than their brief morning chat, it was the first thing John had heard her say all day and John was sure that even Rodney would get the significance of that. Teyla was good at facilitating this bonding thing.

"Uh, sure, I'll email you a list of the things we'd need, um…"

"Go on Rodney," Teyla said gently pulling the scientist's attention back, "what is the third thing you would like to share."

"Right, so when we first found out I was allergic to just about everything my mother took me to sick kids hospital in Toronto and while we were there some kid dropped dead of anaphylactic shock because some moron had a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and the hard lesson I learned is that sometimes you just can't be saved."

John marveled at how Rodney would start wheezing at the mere mention of exercise and yet the man could speak more words in a single breath than a presidential candidate could at a fourth of July picnic.

Of course, Rodney also had to share a death experience, something John had in abundance and something he was unwilling to uncrate and pull into the open. The image of Holland telling him he just needed to rest a bit just before he sat down and quietly died came unbidden to the surface of his mind. He could feel the dry heat of the desert on his skin and just, no, this was not for sharing. Not tonight, maybe not ever, and he ruthlessly shoved it back into the darkness.

"Major Sheppard?"

Teyla's calm voice brought him back to the present and he opened eyes he hadn't realized he had scrunched closed.

"My favourite food is pizza and I like midnight blue the best and when I was thirteen my best friend was Bobby Trendal and we did everything together. One weekend I told him that I really liked Suzy Hornsby and had almost gotten to second base."

John smiled. He hadn't thought about Suzy in, well a lot of years, and in his mind's eye, she was still pert and cute and had given him the best first kiss a guy could ever have asked for.

"Is there a point to this, Major, because really from the look on your face maybe you'd rather be alone," Rodney scoffed at him.

"Dr McKay," Teyla exclaimed, indignation colouring her voice "please do not interrupt," she scolded, "Major please continue."

John grinned at his friend but resisted the urge to stick out his tongue at him because then they both would be in Teyla's bad boy book.

"By Monday morning the whole school knew and Suzy wouldn't even look at me," John told them his voice a little rough, and dammit, the smoke really made your eyes water.

John stopped and for a full minute he stared into the fire and no one said anything.

"I learned the hard lesson that until they prove otherwise you can't trust anyone."

John found himself staring at Jayne, meeting her gaze over Rodney's head.

"Well," Rodney nudged her with his knee, "we each gave up a tiny piece of our soul here. It's your turn."

"Dr McKay, I'm sure Jayne would appreciate a moment to gather her thoughts."

For a moment, John thought that the woman would just get up and leave but she didn't and with a great sigh she spoke in a quiet but clear tone.

"I find myself drawn to the dusky blue of the Issian mourning flower. I can honestly claim ketchup as my favourite food and yes, Dr McKay I am aware that it is a condiment," she said a tiny smile playing on her lips.

"What," Rodney yelped as John poked him again, "I wasn't going to argue with her."

"I had just left my first husband when I was taken."

John held his breath as she paused and sipped her tea before continuing, her voice clear and strong.

"They had gathered three of us, all with the ancestor's blood and each were taken from our homes through violence or treachery. I don't know what world we ended up on but we were definitely in a facility of the ancestors and it was different from anything else I've encountered since. It was difficult to work with and once through the interface it was easy to get lost."

"What do you mean by getting lost?" John asked almost in a whisper.

When he had first interfaced with Atlantis through the control chair, it had been as if the ocean had flowed through his soul, picking him up and dashing him down, roaring through his body until he shattered into a million pieces.

A millions pieces of his soul that spread out into the city, reaching out and making Atlantis do what was needed until he gathered himself together and left the warmth of the city's embrace for the cold rush of reality. It was always an effort to disengage and leave and sometimes he wondered if he had the strength to resist if Atlantis tried to hold on to him.

"It was easy to push a path through the warnings and encryption but finding all the pieces of yourself and pulling away became difficult," Jayne told him, a knowing look in her eyes.

"So you learned to avoid ancient tech and that's why you asked McKay not to say anything about being a gene carrier," John guessed.

"I told you I could keep a secret."

What Rodney didn't know was that John had ordered Carson to test everyone who came into the city for the presence of the ATA gene. If a stranger had the ability to activate the ancient technology, he wanted to know. Carson had balked but had finally agreed that the security of the expedition trumped privacy issues.

Carson's tests showed Jayne was a carrier but not the strength of the gene. A strong expression would have become obvious soon enough so John hadn't worried too much about it. Heck the scientists would have had a field day with a strong carrier that they could tap to activate the various doo dads. Hold on a minute. "Rodney?" John growled.

"Yes?"

"You knew she was a carrier?"

"Um, I thought we were past that, kept her secret and all that."

"That's not what I'm getting at, tell me you didn't blackmail our guest into playing light switch. It's why she's been avoiding you, isn't it?"

"Well…"

"Yes, go on."

"I may have encouraged her to work with the ancient tech," Rodney finally admitted.

"I don't believe it. You forced someone to activate the tech for you?" John knew better than anyone how draining and dangerous working with the ancient's technology could be.

"Major, let us be perfectly clear," Jayne interrupted, "I did not assist Dr McKay under threat of exposure."

"There you see, okay, fine, I may have been a little pushy but I apologized. Don't look at me like that."

John sighed. "Look McKay, next time you need someone you know where to find me." John would just have to have a little talk regarding the difference between needing and wanting.

"Yeah, yeah, sure I know where to find you."

"I mean it McKay, if you really need me, I'll be there. I'll be there for you." John's gaze met Rodney's own and he didn't break off until he was sure. Sure that Rodney had gotten it.

"Okay, I know where to find you," Rodney reiterated but without a trace of his usual sarcasm.

"Jayne thank you for sharing," Teyla told her warmly.

"Wait, that's not the lesson I wanted to share," Jayne told the group as, with a visible shudder, she pulled her knees up and hugged them tightly.

"His name was Milos and with his red hair and blue eyes he projected the image of a wholesome and charming young man. A man any woman would be proud to claim for a son."

"And underneath he was…" Teyla prompted, when it looked like Jayne would become lost in her thoughts.

"Underneath he was a monster."

Jayne flinched but didn't protest when Rodney gingerly placed his arm across her shoulders. John swallowed hard and looked away. He was unaccountably proud of Rodney and his improved social skills. He didn't think the man he had met in Antarctica would have been able to offer this small comfort.

"The work was not going well and one day he came into the dining area where we were preparing to start our day. He took the two youngest and forced them to kneel. Jeyla was just on the cusp of womanhood and Pep couldn't have been more than ten of your years. If I close my eyes I swear I can feel the imprint of his weapon on my forehead though he never came near me otherwise."

The silence hung heavily for a brief moment, broken only by the crackle of the fire.

"His consort came in and protested the mess he would make in the dining area." Jayne's lips curled up in a withering smirk. "She was always so cool and domineering and, as I found out much later, just as much a victim as we were. So he told her to choose one."

Rodney made a small noise at the back of his throat.

"I learned that day that you can't save everyone," she told them all quietly, standing and throwing off the blanket she had shared with Rodney and brushing off the dirt and debris that had settled into her clothing.

"Wait, which one did she choose?" Rodney sputtered out before anyone else could speak.

"Does it matter? He laughed and then shot them both."


	9. Chapter 9

**Issis and the Warriors of Thoth**

**By EchoTango**

**Part 9**

After that mission, Jayne was considerable less guarded though she refused to discuss her home world. John, unfortunately, understood very well the need to protect her people given the small sampling of what she had shared with them that night.

It was on GBX-402 that everything John thought he knew fell down around his ears.

The world was low tech and agrarian based like many of the worlds they had visited. It did however host a bustling marketplace filled with hundreds of vendors from those selling luxury fabrics to arms dealers of which John took careful note. It was always good to know what you may be up against out there. Fortunately, there was not too much available that his Marines couldn't handle.

They had split up, Ford, Teyla and Jayne going to look at the livestock available for sale and John and Rodney perusing the remaining wares just to see what was available.

"Oh, look Major, they have sweet sand."

"You want to buy sand?" John asked, curiously, studying the small bins that had captured Rodney's attention.

"Idiot, don't you ever pay attention. Sergeant Poloski promised he'd make cake if we brought back the ingredients and this may look like your favourite beach but it tastes and smells like vanilla," Rodney told him excitedly bouncing on his toes.

"Still haven't found cocoa, uh?"

Rodney's enthusiasm flagged slightly.

"No, I would prefer chocolate but no luck yet, but hey cake is cake, right?"

John snorted, if they didn't find a supply soon there were going to be many unhappy scientists when the chocolate and coffee finally ran out. There would be a lot of unhappy civilians and by association a miserable military.

Suddenly Rodney tensed up, his eyes going wide with shock and John could just make out a faint dinging coming from Rodney's pack.

"McKay, what is it?"

Rodney didn't answer him right away but instead focused on the piece of ancient tech he had pulled from his pack.

"Something I've been playing around with," he told John as he slowly turned around "that would help us detect Wraith communications. Thought it might prove useful in the field, give us some warning."

Rodney hesitated only for a moment before he started walking headlong into the crowd, head buried in the data pad in his hands. John did his best to clear a path yanking the scientist to an abrupt stop as he was about to turn around a blind corner.

"Stay here," John told him as he slipped the safety off the P-90 and carefully looked around the corner in question.

Partially hidden in the shadows he could just make out a figure and gasped when the figure moved out into the light and he could see that it was Jayne and that in her hand she held what looked vaguely like Wraith tech.

John allowed Rodney to take a brief look.

"Rodney, are you sure?" John asked almost pleading.

"Yeah, and from what I can tell there are data bursts coming and going," Rodney told him, a stricken look on his face.

John was disappointed at Jayne's lack of reaction to stepping through the gate and facing a squad of marines, weapons readied and pointing straight at her. Some part of him had been hoping that they were wrong. That she would offer up a simple explanation.

"McKay, get the device," John ordered harshly before he gestured for Jayne to be escorted to the brig.

It was going to be a long night, no it had been a long night and John's attempt to get a few hours sleep before the early morning briefing was futile.

This was his entire fault. He had brought her home and even though he had doubts, he hadn't followed up on them. She was an enigma from the start and obviously, if he had been doing his job alarm bells would have been going off well before this. That fact that they hadn't done so scared him.

He lay in bed mentally tracing the swirls in the bronze and grey ceiling of his quarters for a while before he gave up and headed down to the labs knowing that Rodney would still be there.

"It's not Wraith," Rodney told him even before he had fully entered the room.

"Well that's something."

"Yeah, well, what it's not is about all I have at this point."

Rodney looked beyond tired, as John knew he would be. The lab was empty except for the piles and powerbar wrappers and used coffee mugs that littered the counters. In a few hours, the scientists who preferred the morning shifts would begin to arrive.

"It's not ancient, or Asgaard or Gou'ald. It's made of an alloy we've never encountered and the whole thing is completely unlike anything I've ever even heard of before much less seen."

"Can you take it apart?"

Rodney grimaced and took a deep breath, which to John's dismay he let out in a great sigh and instead rubbed at his eyes.

"Oh, believe me Major, we've tried, oh we have tried. As much as I hate to admit it I've done all I can here. I don't have any more answers. Hey, where are you going?"

"To get some answers."

He had made his way down to the ancient holding cells in record time, his anger and frustration building with every step. He hung onto it and nurtured it because he would need it to pull off what he had in mind.

"You see," John spoke with a deceptive drawl, making Jayne jump to her feet, "what they say about asking forgiveness is easier than getting permission is true."

Jayne's eyes narrowed as the possibilities went through her mind.

"What do you want?" she finally asked, "otherwise you'd just have done it."

"I want the truth. All of it and in exchange I will not drop you off on the nearest gateless world."

Jayne chewed on her lower lip in indecision. John waited silently, his heart rate slowing down as he pulled himself into full black ops mode. He had no problem with the thought of dropping her off alone into a lifetime of exile. He would have no problem doing more than that if it became necessary.

"You don't want to hear the whole truth."

"Try me."

"You won't believe me," she told him quietly.

"You'd be surprised; heck I'm constantly surprised, at what I've come to believe."

She looked up at him then and laughed. "You won't like it," she told him her eyes searching his.

Then she sat down on the cot and taking a deep breath she told him everything and she was right he didn't like it.

~ * ~

"It's Tokath," John interrupted as he slipped into the conference room.

Jayne had been released and had taken a few minutes to shower and change, which gave John a chance to bring the command staff up to speed.

Elizabeth turned to look at him, her eyebrows arched with curiosity.

"Major?"

"Yes, please Major feel free to interrupt," complained Rodney but without any real heat.

"The Tokath are the allies Issis found to help her and they've been watching us and helping us from the beginning."

"The mysterious rider," Teyla murmured "and the marketplace contacts."

"OK they've been helping us but why and can they do more," Rodney asked cutting to the significant part, in typical fashion.

"Why? Because they've sworn to protect the people of Pegasus and probably not a whole lot more than they have already done," Jayne told them as she strode through the doors.

"So I gather the Warriors of Thoth are nothing but a diversion," Elizabeth stated.

"Yes, the Lantean council had their suspicions and Issis used a little bit of misdirection."

"I am sorry for the subterfuge, Dr Weir, but secrecy and discretion is essential to the Tokath's survival and success."

"Are you Tokath?" Teyla asked for them all.

"No," Jayne told them looking pointedly at John, "they saved me from the Wraith and gave me a home."

"It was a Tokath that saved you and John though, wasn't it? That was convenient," Rodney said with just a touch of sarcasm.

"The Tokath have moles on every hive Rodney." John told him "and I'm kind of glad they do."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So the transmissions you received and sent," Rodney asked his head nodding in the direction of the communication device that now sat in the middle of the conference room table "they came from one of the Tokath spies?"

"Yes, and it was urgent, otherwise I wouldn't have risked detection as I did," Jayne told them with a frown, as she studied her hands as they lay on the table.

"What can you tell us about it?" Elizabeth asked.

Jayne looked up.

"Not much I'm afraid, it's all encoded. The Tokath will tell me only what they feel I need to know," Jayne told them unhappily.

"The council was not entirely pleased when I decided to stay on Atlantis," she added.

"So why did you stay, Jayne," Teyla asked gently, but before she could answer the communication device started to emit a quiet but persistent beep.

"I think I can put it on the overhead screen," Rodney muttered as he quickly typed commands into his data pad.

"Well, answer it," he ordered Jayne.

Jayne complied with no outward sign of trepidation.

As the visual came up on the screen, John barely recognized Secretary Baltos.

"Commander Chaillot?"

The Baltos they were talking to now was nothing like the one they had to deal with before. He was standing straighter and his voice had lost its whiney annoying pitch.

The nervous mannerisms, hand wringing, nail biting and the way he pulled at the ends of his sleeves and collar and the stupid pompous fake smile were all gone. His eyes reflected a self-assurance and quiet efficiency as he surveyed the occupants of the room as they one by one moved into his field of vision.

John's head whipped around and he stared at Jayne. She had told him what he wanted to know but apparently, there were details that he hadn't thought to ask. He wondered how many more of the Issians were not as they seemed.

"It's a pleasure to speak to you so soon Tomas."

I'm in no danger, John translated in his head, assuming that Jayne had actually been totally truthful with him.

"It has been too long. I was thinking of you just yesterday when I realized the ice flowers had bloomed."

Do you require extraction? John knew he was really asking in their simple but effective code.

"I always loved the ice flowers the best, they are so welcome this time of year."

No and you may speak freely, and John let out a sigh of relief.

"So they caught you, finally. I find it somehow disturbing that it took them this long. Are you sure you don't want to come home?"

"Tomas," Jayne said in a warning tone "just tell me what is so urgent that you risked my exposure."

"Queen Siroth is on the move and she's headed right for Atlantis with Quara and Erith trailing not far behind."

"How many and when," John demanded moving to stand beside Jayne.

"Three hives and they should appear on your long range sensors in three or four of your solar cycles."

"Tomas, how…"

"The council has authorized me to send your team to Atlantis and everything we have on the three hives in question but that is all, Jayne," he told her cutting her off, "I am sorry but the council feels any further assistance risks exposing them to the Wraith."

"I understand, tell Jyle to retrieve the remainder of my belongings. I'm sure the council will be just as understanding."

"As you wish, Commander," he told her with a crisp salute as he broke off the connection.

Elizabeth rightly broke the stunned silence in the room.

"Folks you all know what to do. Report back here in four hours prepared for a strategic planning meeting. Jayne, please stay I have some more questions I'd like to ask."

**~*~**

The Wraith had finally come and they had fought, destroying Siroth's hive in the process. The other two had limped off hopefully to brag triumphantly that they had destroyed Atalantis at last while in fact she hid safely beneath the cloak Rodney had managed to erect. John would feel better once the Tokath network had confirmed it for him. At least they had a little bit of time to regroup and get more reinforcements now that they were back in contact with Earth.

He still remembered the relief he felt when the Daedalus crew that had appeared before him in a flash of white light. That the cavalry had come with a ZPM meant that more than a few of them had survived to tell a tale.

The last group of Wraith that had beamed into the city had been neutralized and his marines were doing a final sweep. Ford was in the infirmary overdosed on the feeding enzyme and Teyla was busy helping the Athosians settle back onto the mainland where they would bury their dead.

They had lost good people over the last few days; too many.

All John wanted to do was coral Rodney to bed and then he could stand down with the rest of the expedition as ordered. He had looked everywhere and he couldn't find him. He wasn't in the lab, his quarters, the infirmary, the mess or in any of his regular or special haunts.

Rodney had been flying high on the stims Carson had given out and he was due to crash. Zalenka had already gone down hard. He wasn't answering his radio and it was possible that he had already crashed somewhere. John knew that he would not be able to rest until he knew for sure that Rodney was OK.

The last thing he expected was to step out of the transporter in time to see a fresh faced marine raise a weapon and shoot at him. Everything after that instant was drowned in a pool of blinding light.

John woke up to find himself with his hands and feet securely tied off and with someone kicking at his boots and that someone just would not shut up.

"No, Major," the voice told him urgently, frantically "stay on your back."

John fought the darkness and then with a struggle opened his eyes and blinked. It was Rodney.

"McKay? What the hell?"

"Zat."

"What?"

"Zat weapon. You were hit with a Gou'ald Zat, Major. Come on, wake up and get with the program," he told him while he kicked at him some more.

John moaned and with Rodney's help, he was able to sit up and see why he had been instructed to stay on his back. Strapped to each of their chests was a detonator and he knew by the pulse pattern of the flashing light on it that it was armed and on standby. It wouldn't take much C4 to punch an irreparable hole through his chest.

"Oh, shit."

"How succinct of you."

"Can you disarm it?"

"Right I will disarm it with my teeth and for my next trick I'll tie a maraschino cherry stem into a knot with my tongue."

"Stay still."

"What are you doing," Rodney squeaked as John sat on his lap and attempted to undo his belt.

"Remember that belt I gave you to replace the one you lost on B5T-411. It was a Marine's belt. Would you quit squirming?"

"Right, I get it. A devil dog belt. Hidden compartments filled with deadly weapons. Oh God, give me a minute," Rodney whimpered.

John was about to reply but stopped what he was doing and gasped softly when the marine who had taken him down strolled into sight. Not as young as he had appeared at first glance, but still a fresh, innocent face and with his freckles and short cropped red hair he was the picture of mom's apple pie.

"You see it too, uh?" Rodney asked, the warm breath in his ear sending shivers through John's body.

"Milos," John whispered.

John's eyes widened and he redoubled his efforts when he saw the golden, glowing eyes of the snake turn towards the figure coming through the door.

"Dr Hunter Flynn."

"Milos. It has been a long time coming."

"Where is Jayne?" it demanded, the deep Gou'ald tone, echoing throughout the room.

Hunter laughed mirthlessly and John knew why. Hunter had spent years impersonating another woman, the Goa'uld consort known as Jayne, waiting for Milos' return to claim her as his own.

"You don't get it yet, do you? Jayne's not here. Jayne is safe where you can never, ever find her."

"Tell me," it roared, as it grasped Hunter around the neck and began slowly squeezing.

"There are ways," it growled.

"I know. I look forward to them."

"Choose."

"What?"

"Choose, which one you wish to live, Dr Flynn," he told her lightly, his voice human again, holding up the detonator like a prize.

Hunter gaped as she looked in the direction he indicated and saw Rodney laying flat on his face and John struggling to get free.

"Do it," John ordered tightly "I've seen the eagle soar three times already." God he felt silly and hoped he had remembered the code words correctly but he didn't have time for anything more subtle.

It all happened in slow motion. Like in a surreal movie, time stood still. His movements were smooth and slow as liquid honey flowing in an exotic dance.

She is a cat, sleek and lean, black fur gleaming on rippling muscles. He is the eagle, wings spread wide upon the heat of the heavens.

His arm drew back and he threw the C4 packages towards the Gou'ald as it pressed both firing buttons, as John knew it would.

John flung himself on Rodney and Hunter leaped back and took cover behind a cloth-covered console. He tried not to think about the sticky bits that came down and spattered across his back but concentrated instead on hot showers and clean clothes and food that smelled and tasted like Earth.

~ * ~

"So you knew that Jayne was really Hunter Flynn and that she came from Earth and that she was putting herself out there as bait hoping to trap the system lord that had kidnapped her years ago. How could you not tell me?"

"I didn't know for very long and besides it was part of the deal Rodney. I gave my word."

"How did he get here anyways."

"Jayne, I mean Hunter doesn't know as they were all kept locked up tight and he's not answering any questions."

"Did you know that Milos was on the Daedalus?"

"Well, no. We expected him once word got back that Jayne was on Atlantis but we hadn't anticipated him moving that fast."

Rodney shuddered.

"I can't believe the Gou'ald made it to the Pegasus galaxy before we did. Do you think he loved her, the real Jayne, that is?"

"I don't know Rodney what it was but he wanted her badly enough that he put all his efforts into looking for her. Anyways she's safe and happy with the Tokath."

"Did they find out who the host was?"

"No, who knows what world he came from. That's my biggest regret, that we weren't able to save him."

Hunter came out of the conference room, swinging her carryall onto her back.

"You have everything you need?" John asks her.

"Yes, the Daedalus will bring the rest back for me."

"So, you're finally going home. Have any idea what you're going to do next?"

"No, I've some thoughts but I don't want to make any decisions yet.

"It's been a pleasure Major, Dr McKay," she tells them shaking each of their hands in turn before heading for the gate.

John and Rodney follow her down the stairs.

She suddenly turns around and kisses Rodney goodbye and then John, who having a bit of a warning kisses back.

"I'll miss you both," she tells them and then she's gone through the puddle and the wormhole closes leaving a silence so heavy John can feel it on his skin.

"Well, people you can go back to work now, show's over," Rodney bellowed, galvanizing the gate room staff back into motion.

"Do you think we'll ever see her again?" he asks John in a small, wistful voice.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll run into her, here and there. She has a double Doctorate, you know.

"What?"

"Anthropology and Egyptology."

"Uh, soft sciences."

"She was half way through an undergrad degree in physics when she taken."

"You bastard, you're killing me here."

John's grin faded quickly. "If she had been around, Dr Jackson would have had someone on his side right at the beginning. She was headed that way. They would have found the star gate a lot sooner. Who knows how things might have been."

"You OK?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

"Come on, they're having mac and cheese for lunch. Yes, Radek I am done playing kissy faces and how did you know anyways, do you have a live feed in the gate room or did the city's gossip mill finally crack the speed of light? Yeah, yeah, already, after I get some lunch."

Rodney looks at John his lips twitching with a suppressed smirk.

"What?"

"She kissed me first."

"I got tongue."

"Really?"

John chuckled and put his arm around Rodney's shoulder. "Well, I got as good as I gave. You know, I think we're all going to be okay," he told the scientist and this time he believed it.

THE END


End file.
